


Sins Of The Fathers

by cazmalfoy



Series: Assassin Ianto [5]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Assassin Ianto, Bad ass Ianto, Fifty-First Century Ianto, High Risk Pregnancy, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mpreg, Time Agent Ianto, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 07:31:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 72
Words: 49,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unexplainable events are happening all around Cardiff. Can Torchwood put aside their personal problems to save the city?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Earth shook violently underneath their feet, making their knees buckle. All around them buildings were on the verge of collapsing; several had already lost a few loose roof tiles. Many of the windows in the Millennium Centre had shattered, their shards of glass covering the floor like snow.

They were surrounded on all sides. They had no way of getting away from the creatures surrounding them. They were being pushed back, slowly and surely, inching closer and closer to the gaping Rift. What had once been a magnificent water tower was now nothing more than a stump protruding from the ground: various pieces of debris lying at their feet.

The searing pain Rory felt was increasing by the second. It had been growing since the Rift split apart, threatening to take Cardiff – and the world – with it. 

“I have to,” Rory whispered, taking a step away from his family.

Felix grabbed hold of his partner’s wrist, wrenching him back towards him. “No!” he stated firmly. “There has to be another way. We’ll find another way.”

The older man cupped his lover’s cheek and smiled affectionately. “I’m sorry, Felix. You know this is the only thing we can do. I love you so much, but I…” He looked back at the Rift, feeling a cold wind blow through the gaping hole in time and space. 

Somewhere behind him, he heard gunshots fire as the other’s defended them against the creatures surrounding the Rift. Fear for his family flashed through him and determination to stop what was happening flooded his soul.

Rory leant closer to his lover and kissed him tenderly, trying to put everything he felt for the Time Lord in that kiss. If it was the last time he was going to kiss Felix, Rory wanted to make sure there was no hesitation about his feelings for his partner.

“I have to do this. I love you,” he repeated against Felix’s lips. “Take care of Cali. Make sure she knows I love her.”

“I will,” Felix swore through his tears, not wanting to relinquish his grip on the other man.

Rory ran his hands down Felix’s arms, squeezing him tightly before stepping out of his embrace, not releasing his hand however. He looked over at his parents, brother and the rest of the Torchwood team. He tried to muster a smile, but he was aware he wasn’t convincing any of them; he was trying to be braver than he felt, but he knew none of them believed his bravado. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the concrete below them cracking even further.

Rory cast one last look at Felix, squeezing his hand tightly and releasing him. He took a step away from Felix, knowing that if he stayed where he was, he wouldn’t go through with what had to do. He drew in a deep breath and turned to face what had been the water tower. 

I have to do this, he reminded himself, feeling his hands begin to shake nervously. The whole world depends on this. Depends on me.

As Rory stepped into the Rift, he hoped his family would forgive him.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Five months earlier_

Saturday mornings were not Rory’s favourite time of day. Normal people were allowed to lie on Saturdays – but not Rory. 

The thirty-two year old would understand if Cali was the one who woke him up at eight am on the dot; she was four years old – she didn’t know any better. But Felix was twenty-eight years old; he should know that his partner would prefer to spend his Saturday mornings in bed.

Groaning, Rory grabbed his pillow and buried his face in it, trying to muffle the sound of the vacuum cleaner coming from downstairs. Every weekend – without fail – Rory would be woken up by either the vacuum cleaner, or Felix pushing Rory out of bed so he could change the sheets.

The bedroom door opened and Cali came bounding in, her hair - now a tangle of knots – swaying behind her as she jumped onto the bed.

“Papa!” she whined, wriggling under the covers and pressing her cold toes against Rory’s warm skin. “Daddy’s being annoying again,” she muttered, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. She was just like Rory, she hated being woken up early in the morning.

Rory chuckled and pressed a kiss against her forehead. “Yes, he is,” he agreed, closing his eyes and trying to follow her back into dreamland.

Sleep didn’t come again and half an hour later Rory admitted to himself that he was wide-awake, thanks to Felix’s annoying cleaning habits. He stayed lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and listening to the sound of Felix moving around downstairs. Cali was curled against his side with her face buried in his shoulder as she slept. 

After a while, he got bored of being in bed and not sleeping, so he carefully he detangled himself from his daughter, slowly rolling her onto Felix’s side of the bed. He covered her up with the quilt and reverently pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.

After he had used the bathroom, he ducked his head back into the bedroom to check on Cali. She was still sound asleep, using Rory’s pillow as a teddy bear. 

“At least one of us is asleep,” he muttered under his breath, quietly closing the door and heading downstairs to find Felix and use one of his regenerations.

What he saw in the kitchen made him think twice about killing his lover. The Time Lord was bent at the waist, stuffing various items of clothing into the washing machine. The loose fabric of his cargo pants pulled tight over his arse and Rory couldn’t help purring in approval.

“Morning,” he greeted, crossing the room and pressing his groin against Felix’s arse.

Felix chuckled and closed the machine door, selecting the desired feature and pressing the power button. “Hey,” he greeted. “Did I wake you?” 

Rory growled and nipped Felix’s neck with his teeth. “You know you did,” he hissed, although there was no malice in his voice any more, only thinly veiled lust. “I swear that’s why you do it.”

Felix shrugged his shoulders and turned around in his partner’s arms, kissing him softly. “I wish I could fuck you right now,” he whispered, running his hand down Rory’s torso.

Rory gasped as Felix slipped his hand into his lover’s jogging bottoms, cupping him teasingly. “Fe, please…” he breathed, sliding his hand into Felix’s dark hair. “Don’t tease.”

The Time Lord kissed him softly before taking a step back, smirking to himself. “Cali is upstairs, Rory,” he reminded his lover. “As much as I would love to fuck you on the table, I don’t think it’d be a good idea.”

Rory glared fiercely at him. “I hate you,” he muttered, punching Felix in the arm as he made his way to the bathroom to shower and get rid of the problem Felix had left him with.

“Love you too,” Felix called after him cheerfully.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dominic flexed his right fist, wincing as pain shot through his fingers. “You okay?” Jack asked, leaning against the partition, his arms folded across his chest as he watched his son carefully.

The leader of Torchwood Cardiff nodded his head, reaching for his gun with determination. “Yeah,” he assured his father, breathing in a heavy sigh through the pain he felt.

The second his fingers curled around the weapon, he felt another bolt of pain slice through his hand. “Fuck!” he cried, letting go of the gun and clutching his hand in agony; it was always the hand he shot with that had a habit of getting injured.

Jack immediately moved away from the partition and took Dominic’s hand in his own, inspecting it carefully. “Where does it hurt?” he asked, running his fingers over the back.

When his fingers found a particularly painful spot, Dominic hissed in pain and tried to pull his hand free from his father, but Jack wouldn’t let him move. “There,” he groaned, trying to breathe through the pain.

“Were you working last night?” Jack asked, still pressing in places that provided various amounts of pain for his son.

Dominic nodded his head. “Weevil sighting at the Castle,” he replied.

Jack finally released Dominic’s hand and stepped back. “Did it bite you?” The younger man sighed and nodded. “It’s infected,” the Captain stated.

“Great,” Dominic drawled, sounding so much like his tad that Jack had to chuckle. “So much for training,” he muttered.

Jack smiled affectionately, and patted Dominic’s shoulder. “We can train another day,” he assured the other man. “You need to get your hand checked out. You’re already a brilliant shot anyway, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Dominic grinned proudly at the compliment and followed Jack out of the gun range, up into the main Hub. 

Blair looked up when he heard Jack and Dominic return to the Hub. “Hey,” the Indian man greeted; Blair wasn’t his real name but none of them had any hope of pronouncing his birth name so they didn’t question him. “Everything okay?” he asked.

Dominic smiled sheepishly and held his infected hand out. “I need your help,” he confessed.

“It’s about time,” Blair rolled his eyes, getting up and moving to the medical bay to retrieve his medical kit.

“You already knew his hand was injured?” Jack demanded, placing his hands on his hips and glaring at the medic.

Dominic rolled his eyes, sitting down on a nearby vacant chair and holding his hand out to Blair to allow him to patch his leader up. “Excuse me, who’s in charge here?” he snapped.

“Then start acting like it,” Jack replied, grabbing his greatcoat from where it was hanging on a nearby hook. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he informed Dominic before heading out of the Hub to meet Ianto for breakfast.

Dominic glared at his father’s treating back, waiting until the cog door had rolled closed before he flicked the middle finger of his left hand up in the direction of Jack.

Blair laughed as he opened a pack of antiseptic wipes and began cleaning up Dominic’s hand. “Oh, that’s mature,” he commented in amusement.

“I swear he thinks I’m still twelve years old and can’t take care of myself,” Dominic growled in annoyance.

Blair lifted Dominic’s hand, indicating that he very clearly couldn’t take care of himself. “That doesn’t count,” Dominic snapped.

The medic laughed and resumed his task. “It’s because he’s been part of Torchwood for so long,” Blair informed him. “At least they’re trying to let you and Rory run this place by yourselves.”

Dominic shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the clock. “Speaking of… Where is he?” It was after nine o’clock; Rory should have been there by now – so should Felix.

Almost as if summoned by Dominic’s words, the cog door rolled open, revealing the couple in question.

“Where the Hell have you been?” Dominic demanded, wincing when Blair pressed against the wound on his hand.

Rory ignored the question as he and Felix headed to their respective desks. “What happened to your hand?” Rory asked, nodding to his brother’s hand.

“Rogue Weevil,” Dominic replied, glaring at Blair when he hurt him again.

“At least it’s your right hand,” Rory commented. “No excuse for not doing your own paperwork, now.”

Dominic glared, “I can’t type one handed.”

“You’re left handed,” Rory pointed out. “Try writing things by hand for a change. At least you don’t have to worry about not being able to have a wank,” he smirked, curling his own fingers and making a crude gesture.

Rory laughed loud and quickly ducked to the side in an attempt to avoid the stapler Dominic threw at him.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ianto was already waiting in the café when Jack arrived a short while later. A cup of tea was cradled in his hands, the steaming rising and warming his face.

“About time,” the assassin commented, looking up when he heard the bell above the door jingle merrily. 

“You knew I was at the Hub,” Jack retorted, ordering a coffee from the girl behind the counter.

He shrugged his great coat off and placed it on to the back of the chair opposite Ianto before sliding into the seat. 

“Well, when you sent me a message saying you were on your way, I assumed you’d be here in five minutes, not twenty five,” Ianto retorted.

The waitress placed a cup in front of Jack and flashed him a slightly flustered smile before returning to her place behind the counter. “Something’s never change,” Ianto muttered, taking a drink of his own beverage.

Jack smirked and blew on the liquid, trying to make it cooler so he could drink it – Ianto was the only one who got the temperature just right. “Ah,” he sighed as the liquid slid down his throat. “That’s good,” he complimented. “Not as good as yours, though,” he winked at his partner.

Ianto rolled his eyes. “I married you, Will,” he reminded the Captain. “You don’t have to woo me anymore.”

The older immortal pouted and looked at Ianto with large eyes. “Maybe I like wooing you,” he muttered.

Smiling, Ianto reached out and placed his hand over Jack’s. “I didn’t say you had to stop,” he pointed out. “Just that you don’t have to do it.”

Jack grinned and leant forward, capturing Ianto’s lips in a soft kiss before leaning back in his seat.

“What took you so long?” Ianto asked, running his fingers over the back of Jack’s hand.

“Got talking to a friend from UNIT,” Jack shrugged his shoulders, taking a drink of his coffee. Ianto’s eyes narrowed and Jack grinned, “Calm down,” he soothed, lacing his fingers with his partner’s. “It was strictly professional.”

Ianto rolled his eyes again. “I remember the last time you said that,” he muttered, reaching for his muffin. 

“Nick’s hurt his hand,” Jack informed him, reaching out to take a piece of the muffin. 

He scowled when Ianto hit his hand away, “Get your own,” the assassin glared at the other man. “What did he do?” Ianto asked in concern for their eldest son.

“Got into a fight with a Weevil last night,” Jack replied.

Ianto chuckled to himself. “Like father like son,” he commented. “Is he okay?”

Jack nodded. “Blair was patching him up when I left.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t stay around to help,” Ianto said softly. They had retired from Torchwood a few years ago, but sometimes Jack seemed to find it difficult letting go and relinquishing control to their children. Jack had been part of Torchwood for so long that Ianto suspected the Captain found it hard to believe he was no longer in charge.

“Nick’s in charge,” Jack replied, looking down at this drink.

Ianto leant over and kissed Jack again, deeper than before, trying to distract him from any melancholy thoughts. 

Jack moaned quietly and pulled away from Ianto. “If you keep kissing me like that, we’re going to have to leave pretty soon,” he stated, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Suddenly Ianto stood up and pulled his wallet out to pay for their drinks. “Get your coat, Captain,” he instructed, shrugging on his own jacket and practically pushing Jack from the café.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Dominic pulled the car up to the City Hall and glanced up at the large building. The thing he hated most about being the leader of Torchwood was the large quantity of meetings he was forced to attend. 

Once a year Dominic was forced to attend a Torchwood/UNIT liaison conference in London. It had been set up by his father over thirty years before to promote better communication between the agencies. Unfortunately, in the time he had been in charge, Dominic had been to several of them and he hated the fact that he hadn’t been able to send someone else on the conference.

Heaving a deep sigh, Dominic turned the engine off and climbed out of the car, bracing himself before heading into the large building. His feet automatically led him down the corridors, heading towards the Mayor’s office.

Julie, the Mayor’s assistant, looked up when she heard thunderous footsteps heading in her direction. She scowled when she spotted Dominic Harkness-Jones coming closer. She had only been working for Michael Burke for six months, but she was already aware of Dominic’s reputation about being a relentless bastard.

He didn’t even need to flash his Torchwood ID card; she merely waved her hand in the direction of the door. “He’s waiting for you,” she murmured, turning back to her computer screen and continuing typing up her report.

Dominic nodded his head stiffly and continued on his way, pushing the door open and glaring at the occupant of the room. “Mayor Burke,” he began, “I swear, if you don’t stop interfering with my investigations, I’ll…”

His voice went silent as he slammed the door, blocking out sound from the office.

Julie winced as she heard shouting coming from inside the office. The Mayor was going to be annoyed when he was done with the meeting; Julie just hoped that she wasn’t still around when Dominic left to face the worst of the Mayor’s annoyance.

~

Back in the Hub, Rory groaned as he got to his feet and flushed the toilet. He was alone, manning the secret base while Dominic had meetings and the rest of the team investigated various Weevil sightings throughout the city. Nausea had hit almost as soon as Felix had left and Rory had found himself sitting next to the toilet not long after.

He took a deep breath as he leant on the side of the sink, looking at his reflection in the mirror. His face was pale and there was a thin sheen of sweat covering his face.

It wasn’t the first time he had been ill over the course of the past week. He had been sick every day since Sunday – how Felix hadn’t noticed, Rory would never know - and Rory never got sick. He might have when he had been a kid, but as an adult he couldn’t remember being sick from something that wasn’t alcohol related. He hadn’t even had morning sickness when he had been pregnant with Cali.

Sighing he rinsed his mouth out, trying to get rid of the vomit he could taste on his teeth and tongue. When his mouth tasted better, he slowly made his way back to his desk. He pulled his drawer open and withdrew a packing of chewing gum. He threw a piece into his mouth and slouched down in his seat, staring blankly into space for a long moment. 

He had a feeling he knew what was wrong with him. He didn’t recall eating anything that would disagree with him; and even if he had, Felix would have gotten sick as well since they usually ate at the same time. He’d have to be a fool to not jump to the conclusion he was already at.

Decisively, he lunged forward and grabbed his calendar and a pen. Slowly, he counted back the number of days it had been since his and Felix’s return to 2041. All the while hoping that he was wrong about his theory. 

He frowned deeply when his calculations proved him correct, before rechecking the outcome. When he got the same result, he counted again, determined to prove himself wrong. 

After three attempts, he finally gave up and slammed the pen down, running his hand through his hair.

Rory sighed and glared at the calendar, daring it to mock him. It had been three months since he had returned from the past; three months since he had asked Felix to make love to him and, in their haste to connect, they had forgotten about Rory’s ability to get pregnant. 

Finding out that he was able to bear children had both surprised and confused Rory, especially when what his parent’s had told him went against what they were telling him at school. But eventually he had come to accept that he was different from most boys – just like he had learnt to accept that his parents never got any older and could never die.

Rory had never forgotten what it felt like to give birth. The pain of the contractions had been nothing compared to the pain he had felt in his head. He would have been lying if he said he wasn’t bothered about being pregnant again.

He was terrified that giving birth would actually kill him the second time around. But the prospect of being a father for the second time was almost enough to overwhelm the fear. 

But how was he supposed to tell Felix that they were going to have another baby, even though after what had happened last time they had both sworn it wouldn’t happen again?

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Cali grinned excitedly and ran into the house, immediately looking around for her grandparents. Rory smiled affectionately and followed at a more sensible speed, closing the door behind him and heading into the room where he could hear excited squeals coming from his daughter.

He grinned when he saw Jack standing in the centre of the living room, holding his granddaughter high above his head.

“Put me down!” she cried, kicking her legs and trying to wriggle out of his grip.

Jack shook his head, grinning from ear to ear as he span her around. “Nope,” he retorted, tickling her sides with his fingers.

“Grandpa!” Cali cried, looking down at Ianto with a flushed face. “Tell Granddaddy to stop it!”

Ianto laughed and shook his head. He knew Cali didn’t really want to be put down, her and Jack played the same game every time she stayed over and they all knew she loved it.

“Hi,” the assassin greeted, looking up when he noticed his youngest son standing in the doorway.

Rory grinned back and hugged his tad in greeting. He didn’t sit down; he knew that if he did, he would be there for longer and he had things he needed to get before Felix arrived home from work – Rory had left the Hub in Dominic’s hands when the older man had returned from his meeting.

“Are you sure you don’t mind looking after her?” he asked, raising his voice a little to be heard over Jack and Cali’s cries.

Ianto rolled his eyes and an excited squeal –from Jack – answered for him. “Does that sound like we mind?” he smirked.

Rory grinned and hugged Ianto once more. “Thanks, tad,” he whispered, releasing the other man and turning back to his father and Cali. “I’m going now!” he shouted.

Jack stopped teasing Cali and both turned to him, flushed and out of breath. “Bye papa!” Cali cried, kissing Rory on the cheek when Jack lowered her.

Rory nodded his goodbyes to Jack, not wanting to hug him because he was still holding Cali up. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said to everyone, heading to the door and practically running from the room.

“Have fun!” Jack called, his voice completely filled with innuendo, making Rory roll his eyes.

He hated lying to his parents about why he really wanted an evening alone with Felix, but he didn’t want to face the reality of admitting that he had put his life in danger again.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When Felix arrived home after a long day of chasing aliens around the city, all he wanted to do was get in a hot bath and sleep as he rested his tired muscles. Finding the house in complete darkness - except for a thin sliver of light from the living room – surprised him somewhat. 

He pushed the living room door open and saw that the thin sliver of light he had seen was coming from the dozen candles scattered around the room and the flicker of some late night television show.

Rory looked up when he heard the door open and close, and grinned when he saw Felix. He grabbed the remote and switched the television off, throwing it to the side and getting to his feet. “Hey,” he greeted, wrapping his arms around Felix’s neck.

Felix smiled sleepily and kissed him softly, before pulling back so he could look into Rory’s blue eyes. “What’s this for?” he asked, nodding to the candles.

Rory pouted and looked down into his lover’s eyes. “Can’t I romance you once in a while?” he purred, sliding his hand down Felix’s torso, cupping his dick through his jeans.

Felix gasped and his hips bucked forward, trying to provoke Rory to into stroking him properly. “Rory,” he whispered, threading his hand through the other man’s hair. “Where’s Cali?”

“Dad and tad’s,” Rory murmured, unfastening Felix’s jeans and sliding his hand inside, teasingly brushing his fingers over Felix’s dick.

Felix groaned with pleasure and closed his eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to focus through the lust that was rapidly spreading through his body.

“Why does something have to be wrong?” Rory murmured, pressing his lips against Felix’s neck, flicking his tongue out and tasting his skin.

“Because every time there’s something wrong, you always try to distract me with sex,” Felix responded, taking a step back from Rory and staring at him intently.

Rory sighed and took a deep breath, not liking how much it shuddered as the oxygen entered his lungs. “Fine,” he muttered under his breath. “Sit down,” he instructed, urging the Time Lord in the direction of the couch and sitting next to him. “I have a problem,” he admitted softly.

The Time Lord’s frown deepened and he looked at Rory with worry. “What’s the matter?” he asked, concern flooding his features.

Rory placed a hand over Felix’s, squeezing lovingly before speaking again. “I… I’m pregnant, Fe,” he eventually admitted. 

Felix’s brown eyes widened in surprise at Rory’s words. “What?” he cried, jumping to his feet and staring down at Rory. “How?”

Rory rolled his eyes and pulled Felix back onto the couch. “I thought I’d explained the ‘how’ part years ago,” he smirked, trying to lighten the tension.

The look Felix threw him was pure ice. “Don’t joke about this, Rory,” he snapped. “How did this happen? When did this happen?”

The other man sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “As far as I can tell, the night we came back from 2008.”

Felix fell silent, casting his mind back to that night before he let out a noise of recognition. “Oh,” he murmured, remembering how eager they had been.

Rory nodded his head. “I’m not the only one to blame,” he pointed out. “You didn’t remember either.”

“What are we going to do?” Felix asked quietly, taking his partner’s hands in his.

“What do you mean?”

“About the baby,” Felix nodded to Rory’s stomach. “Are we going to…?” He closed his eyes, hating himself for what he was about to suggest but knowing that they were going to have to face the reality of what Rory being pregnant meant for the older man’s health. “Are we going to keep it?”

Rory’s blue eyes darkened instantly with hatred. “I cannot believe you just suggested that,” he whispered, his voice taking a menacing tone that scared Felix so much. “You know how I feel about that.”

Felix sighed, realising how sensitive the topic of abortion was for the Harkness-Jones’. “I know, Rory. But you have to think about things practically.”

“Practically?” Rory shouted, getting to his feet. “What’s practical about having a baby? And there’s nothing to think about, we’re having this baby – end of story. Well…” he looked down at Felix in contempt, “I’m having this baby.”

Feeling anger well up inside of him at Rory’s words, the Time Lord jumped to his feet as well; Rory might have a fiery temper at times but Felix knew he could give back just as good as he got. “What is that supposed to mean?” he demanded.

“It means exactly what it sounds like,” Rory snapped, crossing the room and wrenching the door open, almost pulling it off of its hinges before stepping out into the hallway. “I’m having this baby with or without you, Felix Ryman.”

He stalked into the hallway and pulled his coat off the hook by the door, roughly shrugging it on. 

“Where are you going?” Felix demanded, following Rory into the hallway.

Rory didn’t look at him as he grabbed his car keys from the sideboard, purposely leaving his phone behind – he didn’t want Felix to be able to contact him at all, before opening the door. 

“Away from you,” he snarled, finally glancing over at Felix. “You…” He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, but it didn’t work. “I just can’t stand to look at you right now.”

As he stormed out of the house, he could hear Felix calling after him, telling him to come back so they could talk. But Rory didn’t listen. Instead, he climbed in his car and slammed his foot on the accelerator, tearing out of the driveway.

At the end of the road, Rory pulled the car over and leant forward, pressing his forehead against the steering wheel as he finally let tears fall.   
TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Dominic had been ordered to go home by Blair after the medic had returned to find the leader of Torchwood working away in his office. Dominic had tried to argue that he was only typing, but Blair hadn’t heard any of it, ordering his boss out of the Hub to rest his injured hand.

Therefore, Dominic resorted to spending his Friday evening alone in his apartment with a beer and the pizza he had just ordered. 

However, someone seemed to be against him relaxing because as soon as he sat down with his food, the doorbell rang - loudly. He considered ignoring it, but whoever was on the other side must have been leant on the buzzer, because it wouldn’t stop making that damn noise.

“What?” Dominic demanded, wrenching the door open. “Oh,” he added, seeing his younger brother in the hallway. “Hi,” he greeted with a smile.

Rory smiled back weakly. “Have you got any painkillers?” he asked, his voice croaky and thick with pain.

Dominic nodded his head, stepping back to let Rory inside, not liking how pale he looked. “You know where they are,” he replied, cocking his head back over his shoulder.

Rory smiled thankfully and practically ran down the corridor into Dominic’s kitchen, where he kept his painkillers. 

“Are you okay?” Dominic asked, closing and locking the door behind him and following Rory into the kitchen. 

His younger brother was leaning against the counter, swallowing the tablets dry and closing his eyes as he waited for them to kick in. 

Eventually, he looked at Dominic and scowled. “Why do you have to live so far away?” he demanded, pouring himself a glass of water and pressing it against the back of his neck.

“If your head hurts why didn’t you go home?” Dominic asked, pulling the fridge open and withdrawing a can of beer. “You live closer to the Rift than I do.”

He offered the can to Rory, frowning when he refused. “No, thanks,” Rory muttered, taking a drink of the water he was holding.

Instantly Dominic knew that something was wrong; Rory rarely refused a drink – especially if it was a free one. “Okay, what’s wrong?” he demanded, placing the can down and folding his arms across his chest. 

Rory heaved a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. “Nothing, I’m fine,” he lied.

Dominic fell silent as he studied his younger brother. Trying to tune himself in with Rory to find out what was wrong with him. 

Rory was an expert at shielding himself from his brother’s telepathy. Each member of the Harkness-Jones family had some level of telepathic ability and Dominic’s particular ability was sensing other’s thoughts when projected loud enough. If he really focused he was almost able to read people’s unshielded thoughts. 

Because of their abilities, Jack and Ianto had taught their children how to block other people out and how to shield themselves from unwanted thoughts. That had been how Rory had managed to keep his secret about the Rift for so long; if he shielded himself from others, they wouldn’t notice the pain he was in.

He tried to bring his shields up before Dominic could read him, but the other man’s eyes widened a split second before Rory managed to succeed – the pain he felt in his head preventing him from reacting quicker.

“Rory!” Dominic cried. “You’re pregnant and you just had a shit load of painkillers!”

“That was a one off and an emergency!” Rory quickly jumped to his own defence. “You can’t say anything; you just offered me alcohol with them!” he accused, pointing a finger at Dominic.

“That’s a different story altogether!” Dominic sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t believe you’d get pregnant again.”

“It’s not like I meant for this to happen!” Rory exclaimed, pacing the kitchen. “Could you at least try to be a little supportive?” he asked, his voice breaking a little. He came to a stop in the middle of the kitchen. “Please?” he begged, looking up at his older brother with watery blue eyes.

Dominic stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his younger brother, pulling him close. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, pressing his lips against the shorter man’s forehead. “Congratulations,” he added, pulling back and looking into Rory’s eyes. “How long?” he asked softly.

“As far as I can tell, three months,” Rory replied. He pushed past Dominic, moving through the apartment into the living room and sliding down onto his brother’s couch.

Instantly, he spotted the pizza and leant forward, snagging a slice and almost swallowing it whole; the nausea he had been feeling almost constantly having vanished for favour of junk food. “I haven’t told anyone else yet,” he mumbled around a mouthful of pizza, splattering cheese and tomato everywhere.

Dominic sat down next to Rory, smacking him for eating his food and making a mess before taking a piece for himself. “What about Felix?”

Almost before the words were out of his mouth, Rory’s whole demeanour changed and his eyes hardened.

“You have told him, haven’t you?” Rory nodded mutely. “What did he say?”

Rory was silent for a long while before he answered, “He asked me if I was going to keep the baby,” he muttered, turning his eyes away from Dominic.

The older man drew in a surprised gasp. “He really said that?” Rory nodded. “What else did he say?”

Rory shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t give him chance to say anything else,” he admitted. “I… I can’t believe he would suggest something like that!” he exclaimed furiously.

“Rory! You can’t just storm out and not give him chance to explain himself.”

“You don’t get it, do you Nick?” Rory demanded. “He knows how I feel about abortion. After what dad told us happened…” He shook his head, “I just couldn’t stand to look at him anymore,” he admitted.

“You have to go home eventually,” Dominic pointed out. 

“I know,” Rory muttered petulantly, slouching back and clutching a cushion to his chest. 

“Where’s Cali?” Dominic asked, concerned that his niece had witnessed her parents fighting.

“Dad and tad’s,” Rory replied. “They just think I wanted to wine and dine Fe so I could shag him.”

Dominic laughed and rolled his eyes. “As always, you have such a wonderful way with words.”

Rory looked up at his brother, still clutching the cushion as though it were a teddy bear. “Can I stay here tonight?” he begged. “I’d go get Cali and stay there, but I… I don’t want them to know.”

“That you fought or that you’re pregnant?” Dominic’s forehead crumpled in confusion.

“Both,” Rory muttered.

“They’re going to find out about the baby eventually,” Dominic countered. “You can’t hide it forever.”

“Wanna bet?” Rory challenged. “We run Torchwood, I’m sure I can find something in the archives that’ll…”

“You are not using anything from those archives on that baby, Rory,” Dominic told him firmly.

“Is that my brother or my boss speaking?”

Dominic raised an eyebrow, “Which one would get you to listen to me?”

“Please, Nick,” Rory begged closing his eyes and pressing the cushion to his face. “Can you save the lecture until later? I… I just want to sleep.” 

Dominic smiled affectionately at his brother, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder. “You know you can stay here tonight,” he stated. “But you’ll have to sleep on the couch, I’m afraid; baby or no.”

Rory nodded, glad that he didn’t have to worry about going home and dealing with Felix at that moment. He knew that having the conversation with Felix was inevitable, but knowing that he didn’t have to go home immediately lifted a weight off his chest, at least for the moment. 

He glanced down the hallway at one the doorways – the apartment’s second bedroom. “Is she asleep?” he asked quietly, getting another slice of pizza.

Dominic snorted with laughter and grabbed the remote, flicking through the movie channels, trying to find something they could watch. “Don’t be daft,” he retorted. “It’s Friday night, where do you think she is?”

Finally settling on a comedy, Dominic fell back and opened the beer he had been about to help himself to when Rory made his appearance. “When she’s sober on a Friday night, hell will freeze over and dad’ll stop flirting with everything that moves.”

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a flashback.

Chapter 9

_The lights were low, the champagne was flowing and the clock was slowly ticking down._

_New Year’s Eve, 2030. In a short while it would a whole new year._

_George laughed and bumped into Rory from behind, making the other man spill his drink on the floor._

_“Oh, sorry,” George apologised. “Lemme buy you another…” His words were slurring together and Rory was finding them a little difficult to understand given the throbbing behind his eyes. “What’re you havin’?”_

_Rory looked down at his own drink – a large glass of water with lots of ice – and shook his head. “It’s okay,” he assured George. “I’m fine. Not staying for much longer.”_

_George pouted and took a swig of his own beer. “Aww, come on. You never come out anymore. You’re no fun. You’re only twenty-one. Live a little.”_

_Rory scowled as the pain in his head worsened and glanced at his watch. It was only eleven o’clock, yet all he wanted was to go home and sleep until 2031._

_“You knew I couldn’t stay out all night,” Rory pointed out. “I promised I’d work tomorrow.” He finished off his drink in one mouthful and placed the empty glass back on the bar. “Happy New Year,” he muttered, clapping George on the back._

_George nodded mutely as he watched Rory weave his way through the crowd of people on their way into the nightclub._

_“Where’s he going?” his eighteen-year-old friend, Felix asked, nodding after Rory._

_The other man shrugged his shoulders. “He’s a weirdo,” George muttered, making his way to the bar. “Pays twenty quid to get in and leaves before New Year? Fucking freak.”_

_~_

_If Rory had thought the fresh air would help his headache, he had been wrong. The only thing the cool night did, was make him cold. He shivered and pulled his jacket tighter around him, heading towards the bay._

_He hadn’t been lying completely when he said he had to work the next day. He did. Torchwood didn’t keep regular hours, but he could hardly tell his friend that he worked for a secret agency that covered up the existence of aliens._

_Rory quickened his pace when he heard footsteps behind him, getting closer and closer. While he could defend himself better than most people in Cardiff – his parents had taught him well – he wasn’t in the mood to fight someone just then._

_“Hey,” a familiar voice called from behind him, trying to get him to stop moving so fast._

_Rory stopped still in surprise, turning around to see George’s friend, Felix, heading towards him. He was a few years younger than them, Rory wasn’t even sure how George knew him, but he seemed like an okay guy._

_“Are you okay?” Felix asked, finally drawing level with Rory and looking up at him in concern._

_Rory frowned and continued walking, with Felix beside him this time. “Yeah,” he lied, shivering as a few flakes of snow fell from the sky. “I’m just not feeling myself.”_

_They were quickly approaching the Bay and Rory could see the Millennium Centre coming into view; it’s writing glowing bright in the darkness._

_As they rounded the corner, Rory stumbled a little as he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. He needed to get back to the Hub as soon as possible; he always felt better there._

_“Whoa,” Felix cried, catching Rory before he fell to the ground. “You are not okay,” he stated._

_Rory tried to roll his eyes, but found the pain in his head too great. “You need to go home,” Felix said, slipping his arm around Rory to make it easier to support him._

_The other man shook his head. “I just…” He nodded to the Roald Dahl Plass, “Just get me over there,” he requested._

_Felix frowned before shrugging his shoulders and following Rory’s instructions. Slowly they made their way down the road, towards the water tower opposite the Centre._

_As they got closer to the invisible lift, Rory could feel his headache decreasing. He couldn’t understand it, but being near the Rift had always made the constant throbbing in his brain more bearable. It was only when he was completely on top of the Rift that the pain vanished completely._

_Carefully Felix helped Rory sit down on the steps just in front of the tower – just next to the lift, Rory would have noted if his head hadn’t been pounding like a jackhammer._

_“Okay, why did I have to bring you over here?” Felix demanded, sitting down on the step next to Rory. “Taking you home would have been better.”_

_“I told you,” Rory insisted. “I’ll be okay. Just need to sit down for a while, then I’ll be as good as new.”_

_They fell silent for a moment, a hundred and one questions running through Felix’s mind._

_“Why did you follow me?” Rory demanded, leaning forward and resting his elbows against his knees._

_Felix started a little in surprise before answering the question. “I… I guess I was worried about you. You started to look a bit pale,” he explained. “Looks like it was a good thing I did.”_

_“Everything okay?” a familiar voice asked in amusement from Rory’s side._

_They both jumped in fright and glared up at the stranger who had suddenly appeared, seemingly out of the blue – only Rory knew where the other man had come from._

_Jack grinned, thrust his hands into his pockets and rocked on the balls of his feet. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya,” he smirked._

_“Sod off,” Rory muttered through gritted teeth, glaring fiercely at his father._

_The Time Agent laughed and shook his head. “Nick told me to remind you about tomorrow,” he said, looking down at Rory. “Have a nice night,” he added, glancing at Felix and grinning knowingly, before walking away from the water tower to where Ianto was waiting in the car on the other side of the Plass._

_“Who the hell was that?” Felix asked, staring at Jack’s retreating back in confusion._

_“My…” Rory sighed and rolled his eyes, “That was my dad.”_

_Felix’s green eyes widened, “Your dad?” he repeated in surprise. “He’s really young,” he murmured._

_“Yeah,” Rory sighed. “He’s older than he looks,” he shrugged his shoulders. “He’s an arsehole sometimes.”_

_“But…” Felix shook his head, confusion etched on his face. “Where did he come from?”_

_Rory laughed, “That is… Far too complicated to explain.”_

_Somewhere in the distance a bell sounded, slowly counting out the twelve chimes, indicating the time. “It’s midnight,” Felix whispered._

_“Yeah,” Rory breathed, looking at Felix. “2031. A whole new year.”_

_Felix nodded, “Happy new year,” he murmured._

_Slowly their lips met, both of them gasping in surprise at the contact, neither of them had realised how close they were sitting. “Happy new year,” Rory echoed._

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Rory’s eyes flickered open and he looked around in surprise, wondering where he was. He groaned when he saw photographs, books and DVDs that weren’t his scattered around the apartment. He was at Dominic’s. Everything came rushing back to him; telling Felix he was pregnant, the subsequent argument with his partner and him storming out of the house.

He groaned again when he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. “Great, just what I need.”

Rory pulled himself to his feet, staggering to the bathroom and trying the handle. He let out a noise of frustration when he found that it was locked. “Come on,” he cried, banging on the door. “Hurry up.”

The toilet flushed and it was a few seconds later that the door opened revealing a pale and dishevelled young girl.

“Move,” he commanded, pushing past her and crouching over the toilet, emptying his stomach of the previous night’s pizza.

Thirty minutes later, the nausea had dissipated slightly and he felt like he was ready to leave the bathroom once more.

“What a lovely surprise,” Dominic drawled, his accent sounding just like Ianto’s. “I wake up to find you both throwing up in my bathroom.”

Rory glared at Dominic and grabbed a glass of water, drinking the whole glass in one mouth full. “At least I’m not throwing up because of alcohol,” he pointed out. 

“How much did you drink last night?” he asked, looking over at his niece who was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup.

The eighteen-year-old grimaced and sipped her coffee. “I lost count,” she admitted. Dominic tutted and looked at his daughter reproachfully. “What?” she exclaimed, holding her hands up in defence. “It wasn’t my fault people kept buying me shots.”

“At least she’s legal,” Rory pointed out.

He grinned as he watched Dominic and Kat bicker between each other about her drinking habits. He knew Dominic didn’t mind her drinking in reality; it would have been hypocritical for him to be strict with her, since her mother had gotten pregnant to Dominic at fifteen and Kat had screamed her way into the world nine months later. 

“Uncle Rory?” Kat questioned, snapping his attention back to the conversation. “Why were you being sick if you haven’t been drinking?”

Rory hesitated; he hadn’t wanted to tell people about the baby before he had a chance to talk to Felix. “I…I’m pregnant,” he eventually admitted.

Kat’s eyes lit up happily. She was brilliant with children and loved taking care of her cousin Cali; Rory being pregnant only meant one thing to Kat – another child for her to take care of.

She hugged him tightly, “Congratulations,” she whispered in his ear. 

“Thanks. Don’t tell grandpa or granddad,” he instructed. “They don’t know yet.”

Kat nodded her head understandingly. “What about Uncle Felix?”

Rory sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He knew he had to go home and face the music eventually. But he also knew that Felix not wanting another child would damage their relationship beyond repair and Rory didn’t know if he was strong enough to face that.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_The previous night_

Felix watched helplessly as Rory ran out of the house and jumped into his car. His cries for Rory to return went unheard as the older man pressed his foot against the accelerator and tore out of the driveway. He was at the end of the road before Felix could even blink.

The Time Lord considered getting in his own car and chasing him, but when Rory turned the corner, he knew he wouldn’t be able to find him. If Rory didn’t want to be followed, there was no way Felix could manage it. Having an assassin for a father meant Rory was exceptionally good at moving around undetected.

Slowly he closed the door, hearing it snap back into place with a loud ‘click’ that seemed to echo in the silent house.

Taking a shuddering breath, Felix closed his eyes and leant his forehead against the cold wood of the door. He couldn’t believe how much he had messed things up with Rory. 

Ever since Rory and Dominic had been old enough to understand, Jack had told them about their older sister. The Time Agent wanted her memory to live on, even if they had never known – or could know – her. Jack had confided in them how she had passed, and the circumstances that had caused Ben to arrive at that horrifying decision.

For the ten years Felix had known Rory, he had been against abortion; it was never an option for the other man, regardless of the danger he might be in personally. 

Felix feared that him suggesting they abort their second child might break their relationship beyond control.

He reached out and locked the door, routinely going about locking up the house. As he turned around, he spotted Cali’s pink Wellington boots standing next to a pair of Rory’s shoes.

Suddenly Felix was struck with an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness when he remembered that Cali was likely to be at Rory’s parents’. 

They had never argued in front of their daughter. They had spoken in harsh tones and the atmosphere had been tense between them, but they had never fought outright. 

That had been their first decision as a parent; Cali would never see them at each other’s throats. The last thing either of them wanted was for her to sit at the top of the stairs, clutching the banister while her daddy and papa screamed at each other, like Felix had as a child with his mother and father.

Sliding below the covers and reaching an arm out automatically, only to find an empty bed that was far too big for one person, Felix choked on tears. He and Rory had been in a relationship for almost ten years. After ten years of being with the man he loved, Felix wasn’t sure he knew how to be alone any more.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a flashback.

Chapter 12

_Rory cried out in pain and clutched at his swollen stomach. He had been in labour for almost an hour and the contractions were coming closer and closer together._

_Jack was behind the wheel of the SUV and driving out of Cardiff as fast as he could. Ianto was sat in the passenger seat, looking over towards the back of the car. Rory was lying across the back seat, his head pillowed in Felix’s lap. Blair and Dominic were in the back of the car. Blair was holding Rory’s arm with his fingers pressed against Rory’s pulse point._

_“His pulse is increasing,” Blair stated, his gaze flickering between Rory and his watch as he counted the beats of the pregnant man’s pulse. “Any faster and the baby will be in serious danger.”_

_Jack never took his foot off of the accelerator. “Just a bit further,” he tried to reason._

_Ianto saw the look of terror and pain on his son’s face. “No, Jack,” he said firmly. “Stop the car,” he instructed. “This has gone far enough.”_

_Jack and Ianto’s eyes met and a silent conversation passed between them – as it always seem to do – before Jack nodded his head, easing his foot off the accelerator and pulling the car over onto the hard shoulder._

_As soon as Jack stopped the car, Blair jumped out and pushed Rory’s shirt up. He pressed a stethoscope to the other man’s stomach. He frowned deeply when he heard how erratic the child’s heartbeat was._

_“I need to get this baby out of you, Rory,” the medic stated, looking into Rory’s eyes._

_“Do it!” Rory ordered through gritted teeth._

_Blair looked over at Dominic, “Time for you to play the assistant,” he said, nodding to his bag. He reeled off a list of sedatives he needed to help Rory and Dominic rushed to comply, hating that his brother was in pain._

_For the first time since he had found out about Rory’s pregnancy, Jack began to doubt whether he had made the right decision about making Rory leave the city._

_Ianto waited until Rory slipped in unconsciousness before he asked, “Should we head back to Cardiff?” he asked, not wanting to reveal how much he knew about Rory’s secret – time lines and all._

_Blair shook his head, pulling on a pair of surgical gloves. “I can’t operate when we’re moving,” he responded. “It’s not the best place to perform a C-Section,” he stated, looking around the SUV, “but I don’t have a choice.”_

_Ianto nodded his head, unable to watch as Blair swiftly but carefully managed to open Rory up. The SUV would need re-upholstering once they were done, but Ianto didn’t care as long as Rory and their granddaughter were safe._

_Dominic remained silent throughout the whole procedure, handing Blair instruments when he asked for them and taking the bloody ones back, trying not to think of the fact that the blood was his baby brother’s._

_After a long moment of silence, a loud wail filled the air and they all collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Blair handed the tiny baby to Ianto who used a bunch of wet wipes to clean the small child, before wrapping her up in a blanket Dominic provided._

_Ianto looked up when he heard a familiar buzzing and watched as Blair used the same piece of alien technology Martha had used on him when Dominic had been born; closing the wound without the need for stitches._

_“Is he okay?” Jack asked, his blue eyes flicking up to Rory’s unconscious face. Felix didn’t seem to have registered that his daughter had just been born; he was smoothing Rory’s hair back and looking on in fear._

_Blair set aside the machine and reached for his stethoscope, pressing it against Rory’s chest and listening to his heart. “His heart is still beating too fast,” he murmured._

_He glanced over at Dominic and ordered things that would help him slow down Rory’s heart rate. “His heart shouldn’t be that erratic,” he murmured, filling the syringe with clear liquid._

_As Blair slid the needle into Rory’s veins, Jack and Ianto looked at each other. They knew the reason Rory was on the verge of a heart-attack; his heart was beating twice as fast as normal, trying to send more blood to his brain to counteract the pressure being far away from the Rift had caused._

_“Is he okay?” Felix repeated Jack’s original question, threading his fingers through Rory’s hair._

_Blair nodded his head, his stereoscope still pressed to Rory’s chest. “His heart rate is returning to normal,” he stated. “He’ll be fine.”_

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Felix hadn’t slept much the previous night. He had gone to bed shortly after his lover had stormed out, he had tried to sleep but every time he closed his eyes, he couldn’t ignore the feeling of loneliness he felt in the large bed. 

The Time Lord didn’t know where Rory had spent the night. He had considered calling Rory’s parents to see if he had gone to their house, but he didn’t want them to know about their fight if Rory hadn’t told them.

As a consequence of him not being able to sleep, he had woken with a start around five am and found himself wandering aimlessly around the house, trying to think of something he could do to keep himself occupied.

He looked up eagerly when he heard a key in the lock and the door slowly open, letting Rory enter the house.

“Hey,” Rory greeted quietly, closing the door softly behind him and throwing his key onto the sideboard. 

Felix didn’t speak, remaining silent as he crossed the hallway and pulled Rory into his arms, kissing him passionately, pouring as much love and regret into the kiss as he could. “Please, let me explain,” he begged, taking Rory’s hands in his own.

Rory nodded mutely, not having the energy to argue with his partner as he allowed the Time Lord to lead him into the living room and pull him onto the couch.

“Where were you last night?” he asked quietly, looking into Rory’s blue eyes. 

“Nick’s,” Rory whispered, looking down at his hands.

Felix placed a hand on either side of Rory’s face, making him look up at him. “I’m so sorry for what I said yesterday,” he whispered, running his thumb over Rory’s cheekbone.

“Why did you even suggest that?” Rory asked, his voice breaking as tears threatened to spill again.

The younger man leant forward, pressing their foreheads together. “I was – and still am – worried about you,” he admitted. “Having Cali nearly killed you, Rory.”

“Male pregnancies always come with a risk,” Rory muttered stubbornly.

“That wasn’t what nearly killed you and you know it,” Felix argued. “Being connected to the Rift…” He shook his head. “You know I want more children with you, Rory; but not if your life is at risk. I love you too much to lose you and it’s not worth it.”

Rory smiled weakly and kissed Felix slowly. “What happened when Cali was born… The pressure was only that extreme because I left Cardiff. If I stay close to the Rift, I’ll be safe.”

Felix didn’t look convinced, but allowed himself to be drawn into a hug by Rory. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, burying his face in his partner’s shoulder. “For being an idiot.”

The older man laughed and pulled back, looking into Felix’s eyes. “Yes, but I wouldn’t love you if you weren’t.”

Rory reached out and took Felix’s hands in his own, warming them up before sliding them under his T-shirt and pressing the Time Lord’s palms flat against his lower abdomen. 

Felix gasped and smiled when the felt the heat radiating from Rory’s body. He didn’t understand why male pregnancies could be felt through heat before anything else; he just assumed it had something to do with Rory’s genetic make-up being different from other twenty-first century humans.

“I love you too,” Felix whispered, bending down and kissing Rory softly.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

For the first time in weeks, Rory woke up feeling fine. He didn’t feel sick and he didn’t need the toilet desperately. He felt wonderful. How long that was going to happen, Rory had no idea but he knew it wouldn’t be long.

Beside him, Felix stirred and Rory grinned to himself. It he felt fine, he wasn’t going to through the opportunity away. Rory rolled over and propped himself up on one elbow.

He still found it strange to wake up to a different man from the one he had fallen in love with so many years before. Waking up and finding a dark haired man beside him, instead of a blond was certainly taking some getting used to. On the odd occasion, he had thought he had gotten drunk the night before and gone to bed with a stranger. Then his mind would remind him the Felix had gotten shot to save his dad’s life – and by extension, Rory’s.

Rory didn’t know how long it would take to fully become used to Felix looking so different, but he did know that he still loved Felix, despite what he looked like.

He leant down and kissed Felix’s neck, flicking his tongue out teasingly. Slowly, he ran his hand across Felix’s chest, rubbing the pads of his fingers over the Time Lord’s nipples.

Felix groaned and his eyes slowly flickered open, turning his head to look into Rory’s blue eyes. “What a way to wake up,” he murmured, bringing his hand up and threading his fingers through Rory’s hair.

Rory smirked and kissed him deeply, tweaking Felix’s nipple with his fingers. Felix gasped and arched up into his partner’s touch. He slid his hand down Felix’s chest, palming Felix’s crotch through his pyjama bottoms.

Felix’s hand slid down Rory’s back, pushing his hand down the back of his pyjamas to grope his arse.

Rory leant up, running his tongue up Felix’s neck and biting at his ear lobe before whispering, “I want you to fuck me, Fe.”

Felix groaned at the tone of Rory’s voice and had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from coming from his lover’s words alone.

He grinned and grabbed Rory’s head, kissing him hotly and carefully rolling them so he was pressing Rory into the mattress. He leant up on his elbows, making sure he didn’t place too much pressure against Rory’s stomach and the baby.

Rory smiled and wrapped his arms around Felix, pulling him so that their bodies were pressed completely against each other. He knew from experience that the baby would be okay for the moment. Later on in his pregnancy, he wouldn’t be able to get as close to Felix as he liked, so he was willing to take whatever contact he could get.

“Please, Felix…” Rory groaned, trying to press more of himself into Felix’s wandering hand. “I… I need you… Want you inside me…”

The other man grinned and kissed Rory hotly, rolling his hips and pressing his own straining erection against Rory’s. He reached over, opening a drawer at the side of the bed and rummaged around, trying to find the lube. He never lifted his body away from Rory’s, not wanting to break the contact they had.

His fingers curled around the tube and he grinned in triumph as he pulled his hand back. He slipped the tube under the pillow in an attempt to warm the liquid inside and turned back to Rory, kissing him deeply, swiping his tongue through the other man’s mouth.

Rory responded eagerly to Felix’s touches and moaned when the Time Lord moved to slide his pyjama bottoms down. Felix smirked and continued kissing Rory passionately.

Suddenly Rory drew in a gasp filled with pain rather than pleasure and screwed his eyes closed. 

Felix frowned and pulled back from his lover, looking at him in concern. “Rory?”

Rory placed a hand in the centre of Felix’s chest, weakly trying to push him away but not having the strength to fully manage it. “I… Fuck…” He rolled over, curling into a foetal position and crying in pain.

“Oh god… No…” Rory whimpered, clutching himself fearfully.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“Oh god… No…” Rory whimpered, clutching himself fearfully.

“Rory?” Felix called, his voice thick with worry as he placed a hand on his partner’s shoulder, rolling him over so he was lying flat on his back. “What’s wrong? Is it… the baby?” he asked, feeling fear welling up inside him at the thought of something being wrong with their baby.

Rory shook his head and breathed heavily, trying to think through the pain he felt. He buried his fingers in his hair, massaging his scalp soothingly. “No,” he whispered. “It’s my head… Feels like it’s being torn apart.” He was still breathing heavily as he tried to rid himself of the residual pain. “It’s… It must be the Rift.”

Felix ran his hand down Rory’s chest, stroking it soothingly, trying to work out how Rory was in pain. It was very rare that he could feel the Rift when they were at home, unless the Rift was active. If the Rift was active, Dominic would have called them for back up.

After twenty minutes, the pain began to subside and Rory could focus clearer with just a dull throbbing behind his eyes. “I… Oh, god…” he breathed, falling onto his back and taking a deep breath. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, trying to stop the throbbing. 

“What the fuck?” he panted, trying to regulate his erratic heartbeat. “I… I’ve never felt it that bad before,” he whispered, running a hand over his face. 

Rory lowered his hand and looked at Felix who was staring down at him worriedly. “I’m okay,” he whispered, trying to reassure the Time Lord, even though he didn’t feel entirely sure who he was trying to convince. 

He reached up and pulled Felix down, kissing him softly. “We’re okay,” he whispered against his partner’s lips and running a hand through his hair.

“Pass me my phone,” he requested quietly. “I need to call Nick. Something has to have happened with the Rift.”

~

Dominic was already at the Hub with Blair when Rory and Felix arrived with Cali a short while later. 

“Anything?” Rory asked instantly, setting Cali down at his desk and pulling out her colouring book and crayons.

The elder Harkness-Jones shook his head, indicating to the screen in front of him. “Not even a blip,” he answered. “Are you sure it was the Rift?” 

Rory scowled, “Yes, I’m sure,” he retorted. “I know what it feels like, Nick. It was the Rift. I wasn’t imaging it.”

Dominic raised an eyebrow. “I’m not saying you were, but the systems aren’t showing anything. I can’t investigate it when I don’t know what I’m investigating.”

Rory sighed and his shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I know,” he breathed, knowing that Dominic was right. But he also knew he had felt the Rift do something – despite what the computers were saying.

“Cali Ryman, don’t even think about it, young lady,” Dominic warned, never looking away from the computer screen in front of him as he scanned the figures, looking for even the smallest anomaly.

The four year old froze mid step and turned around with a guilty look on her face. “Please, Uncle Nicky,” she pouted, looking up at the leader of Torchwood Three with big brown eyes.

Dominic finally turned away from the computer and shook his head. “She’s sleeping,” he told her, nudging his sulking niece back to Rory’s desk.

“I still don’t get how you do that,” Blair commented, looking between Dominic and Cali in confusion. 

The older man shrugged his shoulders. “She was projecting her thoughts so loudly, I’m surprised even you couldn’t hear them,” he retorted. “She was going to go play with Myfanwy.”

Felix chuckled and ran his hand over his daughter’s hair, pressing a kiss to her forehead before heading to his own desk.

“Have another look,” Rory instructed his big brother, nudging his shoulder. 

“No.”

Rory scowled. “Come on, Nick,” he whined. “One more look and if it doesn’t show anything, I’ll leave it alone.”

Dominic heaved a heavy sigh, glaring at Rory for a long while before he relented. “Fine,” he muttered, setting the computer off on a search. 

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Bradley Withers yawned widely and glanced at his watch. His shift had started an hour earlier, and he was already counting down the time – five hours and fifteen minutes – until he could go home to his wife.

Usually he worked alone, but the gas company had insisted that his current job wasn’t a task for one person.

The large open gates creaked as a large British Gas issue van pulled into the cemetery and slowly made its way down the rickety dirt track toward Brad, who was waiting at the site.

Brad watched as the van slowed to a halt before him and the door opened. A young man – no older than twenty-five – with sandy brown hair jumped down from the truck and slammed the door closed.

“Sorry I’m late,” he muttered, shrugging on his luminous safety jacket and looking over at the area of land. “What’s the job?” he asked.

Brad turned to face the land as well. “The pipe’s cracked,” he replied, looking down at the papers in his hand. The paper was rough and the font far too square to have been printed on a modern computer. “Twenty six feet down.”

The other man – Daniel – nodded his head, securing his hardhat on his head. “Looks like we’d better start digging, then.”

They set about their task, both of them moving to their positions automatically. They had both been doing the same job for so long that their actions were instinctive.

The noise of the backhoe seemed to echo in the loud cemetery. It was still early in the morning; not many people visited their loved ones at the crack of dawn.

It took almost an hour and a half to reach twenty-six feet. They were both rewarded for their work when the backhoe hit the pipe with a resounding ‘thunk’ sound, echoing even more in the silent cemetery.

“Whoa!” Brad shouted, holding his hands up to signal Daniel to stop digging.

Daniel pushed the large red stop button and slowly the machine whirred to a stop. “We there?” he called, sticking his head out of the cab.

Brad nodded his head, bending down and picking the ladder up and sticking it down the large hole. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

Carefully he began his decent down to the pipe, watching his feet as they hit each rung before they met dirt next to the pipe.

“Catch!” Daniel called from above and Brad barely had a second to respond before something landed in his hands.

It was a gas mask, Brad noticed as he slipped the straps around his head and placed the mask over his face before looking down at the pipe near his feet.

The pipe was rusted with age and flecks on dirt clung to the rust. There was a crack down the centre of the pipe, about an inch thick. Reaching into his pocket, Brad pulled out a small handheld device, which measured how much gas was being released from the pipe.

He watched as the dial clicked up and down, before registering a reading of zero. There was nothing that could harm them coming out of the pipe.

Brad wrenched the gas mask off and threw it onto the ground. “All clear,” he shouted up to Daniel.

Daniel shouted back, confirming that he had heard, before Brad heard footsteps as Daniel moved back to the lorry, looking for the equipment they would use to fix the broken pipe.

Up on the top, Daniel rooted around in the lorry, trying to locate the sealant they would need. He had already seen it once that morning, he just couldn’t remember where.

During his search, although he didn’t immediately find the sealant, he did find an empty flask, several ready salted crisp packets, a dozen or so Kit Kat wrappers and half a mouldy doughnut.

Eventually, after some searching, he found was he was looking for and turned back to the hole with the intention of giving his find to Brad.

Daniel paused in surprise when he saw Brad standing at the top of the ladder, looking around him in wonder. It was as though he had never seen the area before. “It’s okay,” Daniel assured him. “I found it.” He held up the tube as proof that he had indeed done as specified.

Brad remained silent and Daniel shifted uncomfortably. Silence had never been one of Daniel’s favourite things. “You need to clean out that truck,” Daniel laughed awkwardly, trying to dispel the feeling of uneasiness that had settled in his stomach.

Brad remained silent, taking a step closer to Daniel, not doing anything to help the younger man’s nerves.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked, taking a step back so his back was pressed against the truck.

Silence answered him and Daniel swallowed nervously. “Come on, mate,” he pleaded. “This isn’t funny anymore.”

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ianto rolled over in the large bed and smiled when he saw Jack asleep in the large bed next to him.

The sheets were bunched around Jack’s waist, revealing his naked chest to Ianto’s eager gaze.

Memories of the previous night came back to Ianto and he felt a wash of lust roll over him. Jack had tied him to the bed and used his tongue on every part of Ianto’s body until he was begging in every language he knew – and them some – before finally fucking him.

The assassin leant down and ran his tongue across Jack’s collarbone. The other man tasted of sweat from the night before and something that was so uniquely Jack it still made Ianto’s head swim – even after all the time that had passed since they had met.

Ianto continued running his tongue down Jack’s chest, swirling around his nipples. When Jack groaned above him, Ianto took the hard nub between his teeth and tugged lightly.

Jack gasped and pressed up into Ianto’s touch. “I thought you’d be exhausted after last night,” he murmured, bringing his hand up and running his fingers through Ianto’s dark hair.

Ianto leant closer, pressing his erection against Jack’s hip. “Does that feel like I’m exhausted?” he asked, his hand slipping down Jack’s chest, slowly stroking his rapidly hardening cock.

Jack groaned deeply and Ianto smirked. “I’m sure I remember promising to fuck you in to the mattress,” he said, with the ease of one commenting on the weather.

“God, Ianto,” Jack breathed, pulling Ianto closer and capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. “Less talking, more doing.”

Ianto grinned and pushed the covers away from Jack, revealing more of his naked body. Suddenly he ducked his head and swallowed the whole of Jack’s cock in one move, years of practice making the action almost effortless.

Jack screamed with pleasure and tried to buck his hips forward. Ianto’s hands flew up to hold his hips in place.

Ianto swirled his tongue around his thick shaft in his mouth, hollowing his cheeks to increase the suction on Jack’s cock.

“Fuck,” Jack breathed, tightening his grip on Ianto’s hair when he scraped his teeth over his cock.

He whined when Ianto pulled back and tried to encourage the assassin to resume the blowjob.

Ianto shook his head and pulled himself out of Jack’s grip. “That’s a very good suggestion,” he breathed in Jack’s ear, leaning up on his elbow and kissing Jack passionately, allowing the Captain to taste himself on Ianto’s tongue.

“I think I’m going to do just that.”

The assassin reached over, rummaging in the drawer for lube. Their tongues battled for dominance for a long moment, until Ianto pulled away and sat back on his heels.

“On your knees,” he instructed.

Jack raised an eyebrow and groaned at the domineering tone in his lover’s voice. “God,” he breathed, quickly rolling over on to his stomach and pushing himself up on to his knees.

Ianto smiled and leant forward, pressing a kiss on Jack’s arse. The Captain groaned when he felt Ianto’s tongue lap at his entrance; Ianto was so good at rimming and could actually make Jack come from that alone.

“Ianto,” Jack moaned, burying his face in the pillows and sticking his arse up in invitation. 

The younger man smirked and pulled away, kissing his way up Jack’s back and running his tongue over the back of his partner’s neck. “Tell me what you want, Will,” he whispered, reaching between their bodies and stroking Jack’s cock teasingly.

Jack groaned and whined in frustration, unsure about whether he wanted to press into Ianto’s hand or push back against the cock he could feel resting against his arse. “You’re a bastard,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

“No, I’m pretty sure my parents were married when I was born,” Ianto replied with a chuckle, rolling his hips teasingly.

“God, Ianto,” Jack moaned, reaching around and pushing Ianto against him even further. “Just fuck me already!”

Ianto grinned and reached for the lube. “All you had to do was ask.”

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Dominic snapped the phone closed and slipped into his pocket. “Dad and Tad aren’t coming today,” he informed Rory, looking down from the balcony at his younger brother.

Linda snorted with laughter. “Well, they might not be coming here,” she commented with a shake of her head, knowing what Jack and Ianto were like when they were alone.

Rory and Dominic looked at each other in horror. “God,” Rory muttered, rolling his eyes. “I really am going to need therapy.”

Blair shook his head and swiftly diverted everyone’s attention back to the original topic as Linda handed Dominic the file he had requested and headed back into the main Hub. “Are you sure you’re pregnant?”

Rory nodded his head. “Pretty certain,” he replied. “I keep being sick; I never get sick. And I’m getting fat.”

Blair breathed a heavy sigh and looked Rory despairingly, “Again?” he asked. 

Almost five years ago he had thought it impossible for the other man to become pregnant. Now he knew different; he just couldn’t believe that Rory had let it happen again.

Rory sighed and climbed up on the table. “Don’t you start,” he muttered. “I got enough of it from him,” he nodded up to the balcony above them where Dominic was keeping a watchful eye on his younger brother.

Blair chuckled and moved across the medical bay, gathering the equipment he would need. “Off,” he instructed, indicating to the T-shirt Rory was wearing. 

“I always knew you wanted my body,” Rory smirked, pulling his T-shirt off and throwing it on the chair next to the examination table.

The medic rolled his eyes and didn’t comment as he slid Rory’s arm into the tourniquet and tightened it around his bicep. He tapped his index finger against Rory’s skin, bringing a vein to the surface.

“Is this really necessary?” Rory whined, trying to avoid the needle.

Blair glared at him and he became still, allowing the doctor to do what was needed. “Yes it is,” he retorted, filling a vial with blood. “You’re such a baby,” he commented, carefully removing the needle and pressing a cotton wool ball to Rory’s skin, instructing him to hold it in place to stop the bleeding.

Above them, Rory heard Dominic chuckle to himself and glared at his older brother. “Don’t you start,” he scowled at the leader of Torchwood.

Dominic held his hands up, “I’m not saying anything,” he stated, continuing to chuckle.

“While you’ve got your shirt off,” Blair interrupted, holding up his stethoscope.

Rory sighed and flinched when Blair pressed the cold circle against his skin. 

“I can hear two heartbeats,” Blair informed them, moving the stethoscope across Rory’s stomach. “Which either means you’re having twin humans or another Time Lord-human hybrid,” he concluded, pulling the stethoscope out of his ears. 

“Let’s see which it is,” Blair added, reaching for the ultrasound gel.

Rory groaned and tipped his head back, hissing when the gel was applied to his stomach. “I hate this part,” he muttered.

“Should have thought about that before you got pregnant,” Felix chuckled, pressing a kiss on his partner’s temple.

The older man glared up at the Time Lord. “Do you really want to open that can of worms?” he demanded.

Seeing the fire in Rory’s eyes, Felix shook his head, mumbling, “Sorry,” under his breath before looking back at Blair. “What’s the verdict, doc?” he questioned.

Felix grasped Rory’s hand tightly, knowing that he hated the feeling of the scanner against his skin. Blair frowned for a moment, pausing in his scan before continuing. 

“See there?” he asked, pointing at the screen. “That’s your baby.”

Although the image on the screen was barely recognisable as a child, Felix felt a swell of warmth inside him. Looking over at Rory told him that the other man was feeling the same thing; in fact, it looked as though Rory was about to burst into tears.

“Baby?” Rory whispered, biting his lower lip in an effort to control his emotions.

Blair nodded his head, “A baby boy,” he confirmed, knowing that they would want to know the sex; they had found out about Cali as soon as they could. He left the image on the screen before he and Dominic exited the Medical Bay, giving the couple time alone. 

“One baby; two heartbeats,” Rory murmured, looking up at Felix lovingly. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

Felix nodded his head, smiling down at his lover before capturing his lips in a soft kiss. “Cali isn’t going to be the last generation of the Time Lords anymore.” He ran a hand down Rory’s cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered, resting his forehead against Rory’s and looking into his gorgeous blue eyes.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are flashbacks.

Chapter 19

Dominic stood in the doorway, watching his younger brother and Felix silently. He knew he was intruding on an intensely private moment, but seeing them together made him remember when he had found out he would be a father – at fifteen. 

_Dominic was silent through the whole meal. He didn’t eat a single thing; he merely pushed the food in front of him around on his plate. His thirteen-year-old brother had wolfed down his meal and asked to be excused within ten minutes of sitting down at the table. Dominic had been sat there for over half an hour and he still hadn’t touched his food._

_“Okay,” Ianto began, finally sick of the silence at the table. “What’s going on?”_

_“Hmm?” Dominic replied, not looking up or stopping playing with his food._

_“Dominic,” Jack said, causing his oldest son to look up in surprise; they never called him his full name unless he was in trouble. “Your tad asked what’s going on.” He nodded over at Ianto._

_The fifteen-year-old sighed and placed his fork down. His gaze travelled back to the table for a moment before he began to speak. “I… I don’t know what to do,” he eventually whispered, running his fingers over the polished wood._

_Jack and Ianto’s eyes met and both immortals frowned. “What do you mean?” Ianto asked softly, placing a hand over his son’s arm. “Are you in trouble?”_

_Dominic shook his head before slowly nodding, tears forming in his bright blue eyes. “I…” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before blurting out, “Ana’s pregnant.”_

_His parents fell silent instantly, both of them staring at Dominic in surprise. “What?” Ianto whispered, his mind reeling with shock._

_“Ana,” Dominic repeated, his voice nothing more than a whisper. “She’s pregnant.”_

_When Jack suddenly got to his feet, Dominic jumped in fear and Ianto felt the fleeting notion that Dominic thought Jack was going to hit him. “Dad, I…”_

_Dominic fell silent as Jack closed the dining room door, sealing the room to Rory and allowing them to talk without fear of being overheard. As soon as the door was closed, Dominic understand Jack’s silent meaning; what the Captain was about to tell him, wasn’t to be repeated in front of Rory until the younger teenager was old enough to understand what he was being told._

_“Nick,” Jack said softly, pulling his chair closer so that he could sit next to Dominic. “There’s something about me that you don’t know.”_

_Dominic frowned and looked at his father in surprise. He knew that he didn’t know everything about Jack; having lived for over two thousand years he was bound to accumulate some secrets and Dominic was sure that even Ianto didn’t know everything._

_“You know that we,” he nodded at Ianto, “can get pregnant.” Dominic nodded his head in agreement, he had known that since he was old enough to know what ‘pregnant’ meant._

_“Well, you won’t remember when I was pregnant with Rory,” Jack continued and Dominic shook his head; he barely remembered anything from his early childhood. “But that wasn’t the first time I’ve been pregnant,” he admitted._

_Dominic frowned and looked at Jack in confusion. “Dad?”_

_Jack took a deep breath and closed his eyes before he continued with his explanation. “I was fifteen, naive and in love.”_

_Dominic glanced over at Ianto who shook his head, “This was long before I met him,” the assassin said, sitting back in his chair and allowing father and son to talk._

_“Why don’t I have an older brother or sister?” Dominic asked quietly, looking down at his hands._

_Jack and Ianto’s eyes met, a silent question passing between them. But Jack shook his head; even though remembering his lost daughter hurt, Dominic deserved to know._

_“I got sick,” Jack eventually whispered, feeling the familiar pain well up inside of him. “My boyfriend had to choose between saving my life and losing the baby; or losing us both. Obviously, he chose the first option, but Megan died.”_

_Ianto got to his feet and moved around the table, placing his hands on Jack’s shoulders and pressing his lips against his partner’s hair, silently offering him support._

_Dominic, not knowing what to say, remained silent as he took in what Jack had just told him._

_“Look, Dominic,” Ianto said softly, not moving from where he was stood behind Jack. “Do you love Ana?”_

_Dominic nodded his head, not hesitating for even a second. “Yes,” he stated._

_Jack smiled and placed his hand on Dominic’s arm. “Then we’re glad for you, Nick. It won’t be easy, but we’ll help you as much as we can.”_

The computer beeped loudly from behind Dominic, snapping him out of his memories of the past. He quickly headed across the Hub, entering his password and stopping the machine from making a noise.

“What’s that?” Rory asked, pulling his T-shirt back on as he and Felix exited the Medical bay.

Dominic stared at the computer, his forehead crumpling in confusion. “I…” He shook his head, “The Weevils we tagged a few months ago; they’re in the cemetery.”

Rory’s eyes widened in surprise and he stepped up to the computer so he could see over his brother’s shoulder. “All of them?”

“Well, we only tagged six of them,” Blair commented, approaching the brothers and looking at the computer as well.

Dominic tapped away at the computer screen. “All six are in the cemetery,” he confirmed. “But only one specific area.”

“What the hell’s going on?” Rory whispered the words that were on everyone’s lips.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Dominic grabbed his phone, calling the remaining two members of his team – Linda and Julian – and telling them to meet him, Blair and Felix at the cemetery.

“What about me?” Rory demanded, placing his hands on his hips and glaring at his brother.

“You’re not going,” Dominic replied simply. “I’m removing you from field duty until that,” he jabbed his index finger in the direction of Rory’s stomach, “baby has been born.”

“I am not made of glass, Nick!” Rory shouted, following Dominic through the Hub as he continued preparing to leave. “You know I am perfectly capable of being in the field.”

Dominic paused in loading a backpack with the Weevil sedative Blair and Ianto had perfected several years before. “Are you really willing to risk the safety of your child like that?” he retorted.

“There are six Weevils in that cemetery, Nick,” Rory reasoned. “There’s only five of you. What if two of them decide to double-team you? Let me come. I’ll be okay, I’m only three months gone, no one will be able to tell.”

“It’s not people noticing that I’m worried about, Ror,” Dominic argued. “It’s your health – and the baby’s – that I care about. If we need back up I’ll call dad and tad. Go to Aunt Martha’s and spend time with her and Cali.”

“They’re having a girls day,” Rory shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll stay in the SUV if I have to,” he stated. “But I am coming. There is no way I’m being forced to stay away before I have to.”

Dominic’s irritated eyes met his brother's. “Fine! But you stay in the car. At the first hint of danger, you get out of there. Understand?”

Rory grinned and nodded his head. “Perfectly.”

~

When they arrived at the cemetery, everyone was surprised to see the Weevils congregating around the headstones. It was bizarre. They looked as though they were doing some kind of distorted pagan ritual.

“What is going on?” Rory asked the question that was on everyone’s minds.

“It looks like a Weevil orgy,” Blair muttered under his breath, earning himself a glare from the other members of the car.

“That’s not the mental image I needed right now,” Rory muttered, reaching for the handle on the door.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Dominic demanded, spotting his younger brother’s action. “I specifically told you to stay in the car. You either do that or you go home. And that is as your boss, not your brother. If you don’t, I will dismiss you immediately.”

Everyone in the car stared at Dominic; all of them knew how fierce a temper the other man had when he was pushed beyond his limit; only his family seemed to be able to push him that far though. Rory especially. 

Rory scowled and slouched back down in the seat. “Jeez!” he breathed, folding his arms across his chest sulkily. “No need to get all ‘dad’ on me!”

The blanket of tension that had settled across the other occupants of the car was immediately broken when Linda burst into a fit of giggles. Soon the whole car was laughing and it took them a while to calm down again.

“Come on,” Dominic instructed the rest of the team, before turning to Rory and instructing, “Stay here,” one more time.

The young man glared at him and childishly stuck his tongue out in annoyance as the rest of the team exited the vehicle.

Idly Rory ran his hand over his stomach. It was – admittedly – not as flat as it was a few months ago, but it was still early in his pregnancy. He knew from experience that it wouldn’t be long before the barely discernible bump in his clothes became visible.

He watched as the rest of the team tried to round up the Weevils as carefully as possible. Pretty soon, each of them was facing one Weevil, while the sixth flitted between them all, unsure about where to go.

Rory watched as a Weevil attacked Dominic, constantly diving closer and reaching for his neck with its sharp teeth.

Dominic swung his fist, connecting with the side of the alien’s head, but not managing to cause sufficient enough damage to save himself. 

As Rory continued watching, fear began to grow in his stomach, more and more as the alien wrestled with his brother. He hated that he was stuck in the SUV; unable to help when he knew he was perfectly capable of doing so. 

He was a better fighter than Dominic. Both were trained beyond black belt level and could easily defend themselves, but to Rory hand-to-hand combat came easier than it did to Dominic.

Just as Dominic managed to wrestle the creature to the ground, Rory saw another rapidly approaching the leader of Torchwood Three from behind. It’s almost non-existent lips pulled back tight, bearing its menacing teeth in the early morning light.

Knowing that he had to do something to help, Rory reached for his gun and jumped out of the SUV, running across the grass towards his brother.

The Weevil looked up before it reached Dominic when it sensed another human approaching. It snarled and changed direction, heading for the newcomer instead, diving at him and knocking the young man to the ground. The gun in Rory’s hand fell to the side, forgotten about as the pair wrestled each other, fighting for control.

The Weevil lunged for Rory’s neck, trying to tear his jugular, only for him to move away quickly.

Rory felt heat spread through his ankle and noted somewhere in the back of his mind that it was at least twisted. But he didn’t allow himself to pay attention to the pain. His adrenaline and survival instincts were raging, fuelling him through any agony he felt.

Blair was the first person to spot Rory out of the SUV. Cursing the other man’s stubbornness, he ran over, Weevil sedative in hand and after a moment of trying to figure out the best angle, plunged the thick needle into the creature’s neck.

Instantly the Weevil went rigid, before falling to the side, its head lolling to the left as unconsciousness began to consume it.

Rory’s chest heaved as he tried to regain his breath. He flashed Blair a thankful smile before turning to meet his older brother’s murderous glare.

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

All the way back to the Hub, no one spoke a word. The only sound that could be heard was the snoring of unconscious Weevils in the boot, competing with the purr of the SUV’s engine. Dominic’s angry gaze never shifted from the road in front of them – while the other occupants of the car remained silent. Dominic had a fiery temper at the best of times, but his anger was always worse when he was given time to brood over his annoyance. They were just waiting for him to erupt in fury at Rory.

To everyone’s surprise – and slight fear – Dominic was still silent when they arrived back at the base. The leader of Torchwood stomped across the Hub, heading into his office and slamming the door closed behind him as Blair and Felix helped Rory to the medical bay, leaving the others to transport the Weevils down to the cells.

When his ankle was tightly strapped up, Rory heard footsteps coming down the stone stairs and he looked up to see Dominic standing beside him.

“Give me your pass,” Dominic instructed, not meeting Rory’s gaze as he held out his hand to his brother. Rory’s gun was still on the floor of the SUV; he would get that later.

Rory’s eyes widened, instantly realising why Dominic wanted his ID card. “What? I saved your life and that’s how you’re gonna fucking thank me?”

Dominic’s hard blue eyes finally met Rory’s. “I’m in charge, Rory. Not you. I gave you a direct order and you went against it. I can’t give you preferential treatment just because you’re my brother.”

“You can’t sack me, Nick!”

Dominic reached for Rory’s wallet, which was lying on the side of the examination table. “I’m not sacking you. You’re suspended until you have that baby or you realise that you being in the field isn’t safe. Whichever happens first.”

Rory looked around at the team. Felix was the only one who would look him in the eye. “You all feel the same?” he asked, his quiet voice echoing off the cold tiles.

“You were careless out there, Rory,” Blair stated. 

Linda and Julian, who had returned just in time to witness the beginning of the argument, nodded their heads in agreement. Wisely, Felix remained silent. He had already pushed his partner to the limit during the course of his pregnancy. He wasn’t about to say something stupid that could potentially damage their relationship again.

“It’s for your own good, Ror,” Dominic whispered, his features softening as he placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Think of the baby’s health if not your own.”

“What about when Fe’s at work?” Rory asked. “And Cali’s at school. What am I supposed to do with myself?”

“You could start by telling your parents that you’re pregnant,” a very familiar voice replied from above them.

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Slowly Dominic, Rory and Felix turned to find Jack and Ianto standing at the entrance to the Medical Bay.

“Dad, I…” Rory began, before closing his mouth when he realised that he didn’t know what had intended to say.

“How long?” Jack asked, his voice quiet.

Rory sighed, feeling the usual feeling of disapproval from his father. He knew Jack probably never meant to make his sons feel he was disappointed in them. But even if it wasn’t his intention, he still managed to succeed.

“A little over three months,” he whispered. 

“And you all know,” Jack stated, looking around at the team Dominic had hired. “When were you planning on telling us? When you went into labour?”

The rest of Torchwood Three took Jack noticing their presence as their invitation to leave and they all practically ran from the Hub, leaving the Harkness-Jones’ alone to deal with Rory’s pregnancy.

Rory looked at Ianto pleadingly, silently begging him to say something. The assassin was being unusually silent, watching and letting Jack do the talking. “I was going to tell you eventually. I just didn’t know how,” he admitted.

There was silence between them for a moment before Ianto eventually asked, “Boy or a girl?”

An affectionate smile spread across Rory’s face and he ran a hand over his stomach protectively. “Boy,” he replied. “Two heartbeats,” he added, gazing at Felix lovingly.

“A Time Lord,” Jack murmured. “You need to get out of Cardiff when he’s born, Rory.”

“What?” Rory stared at his father. “No. No way. Why the Hell do I have to do that?”

“Time Lords are sensitive to temporal shifts as it is, Rory,” Jack said softly. “A Time Lord being connected to the Rift would kill likely him.”

Rory looked up at Jack, his blue eyes wide and fearful. “Please, dad,” he implored, taking Jack’s hands in his. “No. I… Don’t make me do that again.”

Jack sighed and hugged Rory tightly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, pressing his lips against his son’s hair. “I know it’s hard but it’s for the best.”

“For the best?” Rory snorted with laughter and pulled away from Jack. “You were there when Cali was born; being that far away from the Rift almost killed me last time, dad,” he reminded the Time Agent. “How can it be for the best, if it nearly destroys me?”

Jack got to his feet and moved so he was in front of Rory. “You have to believe me, if there was another way…”

Rory glared at his father, his temper was already frayed anyway and Jack was doing nothing to help quell his slowly bubbling anger; if anything the Captain was making him angrier. “There is another way,” he almost screamed. “I won’t – can’t – leave Cardiff. My son is going to be born here, dad.”

“No,” Jack argued. “You don’t realise how dangerous the Rift can be. All your life you’ve been in pain. Do you really want to put your child through that? Are you really that selfish?”

“I’m being selfish? Fuck you!” Rory suddenly snarled, his face growing red with fury. “All my life you’ve been telling me what to do and where to go. This isn’t your baby, dad! I know you think you know better than me because you’re my father, but you don’t! For once I know more than you do and you can’t stand that.”

“I’ve had to deal with being connected to the Rift my entire life; you haven’t. You have no idea what it’s like to be different from everyone else. You don’t know what it’s like to be a freak!”

“Yes, I do!” Jack screamed, cutting off Rory’s tirade.

Rory blinked in surprise and studied his father, “No, you don’t,” he scoffed.

“You think I like being this way?” Jack demanded, glaring at Rory. “That being immortal was what I wanted?”

“That’s different,” Rory retorted, unable to see what Jack being immortal had to do with anything.

“No it isn’t,” Jack argued. “I wasn’t born this way and neither was your tad. Us being immortal might be normal for you, but it’s taken us a long time to come to terms with this. We were mortal once, just like you and Dominic – albeit it a long time ago – but we were made this way by an outside force. We didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

“I didn’t have a choice in being connected to the Rift.”

Jack nodded his head slowly. “I know you didn’t. But don’t you dare stand there and accuse me of not knowing what it feels like to be a freak. I spent an entire year being chained up and killed on a daily basis, while some sick fuck called me a freak – just because I couldn’t die.”

Rory jumped off the examination table, wincing when he felt pain in his ankle. Jack made to help him but Rory shrugged his hand away. “Don’t touch me,” Rory hissed, glaring at his father.

“Take me home,” he begged Felix. “Get me away from him,” he spat.

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

That night, when it was just him and Jack, Ianto began to interrogate Jack. “What were you thinking?” he demanded.

Jack blinked in surprise. “What?” he asked.

“Earlier, when you told Rory he wasn’t to give birth in Cardiff,” Ianto explained. “What gives you the right to decide where that child is born?”

The Captain’s eyes widened, “Rory is my son.”

“So? He’s mine as well, but you don’t see me trying to run his life. You are not the one having a baby, Will.”

Jack sighed wearily, “Neither of you get it.”

“Oh, I get it,” Ianto scoffed. “You can’t spout that bullshit about you knowing the dangers of the Rift better than the rest of us. Or have you forgotten that I’m not the same naïve little boy I was almost forty years ago?”

“If the baby is born in Cardiff…”

“We have no way of knowing that’d he’d be connected to the Rift like Rory,” Ianto interrupted. “Cali isn’t.”

“Because she wasn’t born near it!” Jack argued. “If Rory stays here, the risk is too high, Ianto.”

“And if he leaves, he risks being killed by the pressure in his head,” Ianto added. “I can’t believe you’re willing to risk our son’s – and grandson’s – life so callously.”

“I’m not being callous,” Jack argued. “I’m thinking about things logically.”

“You are not being logical, Will Kanaris!” Ianto screamed, his patience beginning to fray even further. “Is your obsession with controlling Rory’s life because you couldn’t control who he’d marry? Are you still jealous that he got a Time Lord, when you couldn’t?”

Jack’s eyes darkened in fury at Ianto’s accusation. “You bastard!” he snarled. “How dare you insinuate that?”

Ianto laughed and rolled his eyes. “Why not? I felt what you were feeling earlier, Will. You’re jealous that Rory is with Felix; even after all this time. I thought we dealt with your feelings for the Doctor decades ago. I can’t believe that you still love him.”

“I don’t,” Jack argued.

Ianto rolled his eyes. “I accepted that I could never have the whole of your heart a long time ago, Will. I don’t care anymore; I’m the one you married, not the Doctor. But when your feelings affect our family, that’s when I start to care.”

“Don’t insult my intelligence by lying to me. You can lie to yourself all you want, just don’t do it to me. It seems to me that the only reason you’re making your son suffer is because he’s got what you’ve wanted for over two thousand years. A piece of the Doctor.”

The punch Jack threw wasn’t completely unexpected, but it still made Ianto fall back from the force. “Fuck you,” he snapped, moving to the table and slamming his hand down.

Jack didn’t speak another word as he grabbed his greatcoat and stormed out of the house, making sure he slammed the door closed on his way out.

Ianto looked down at the table top, feeling all his adrenaline drain away as he saw what Jack had left. 

Lying on the polished wooden top was a ring of silver. Jack’s wedding ring.

TBC


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Rory balanced the cup of hot chocolate on his leg, staring into space; looking but not seeing. Cali was sat on the floor in front of him, playing with her Barbie dolls. Felix had come home with, but Dominic had been forced to call him back a few hours before to deal with – something Rory didn’t know.

“Papa?” Cali asked quietly, looking up at Rory with large eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked, abandoning her dolls and pulling herself up to sit next to Rory on the couch.

He blinked and looked at her in surprise. She had never shown any kind of telepathic skill, but Rory supposed it made sense for her to have something. All of Rory’s family had some kind of telepathic ability on varying levels – just another perk of their fifty-first century genetic make-up.

“Papa?” Cali questioned again, snapping his attention back to her. 

Rory blinked again. “I’m sorry, Sweetie,” he whispered, pulling her carefully onto his lap, setting the hot chocolate to the side. “Sweetie, you know daddy and I love you, don’t you?” he asked, pressing his lips to her hair.

She nodded and hugged him. “Love you too, papa,” she cried happily, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Rory smiled. “Well, we love you and being a papa and daddy so much that we’re going to have another baby.”

Cali frowned deeply. “Another baby?” she whispered in confusion, wondering what that would mean for her.

Rory nodded, taking her tiny hand in his larger one and placing it on his stomach. The instant she gasped and her eyes widened, Rory knew she had felt the heat radiating from his body. “You were in there once,” he smiled.

Cali’s wide eyes looked up at him. “Really?” 

He chuckled and tightened his arms around his daughter, holding her close and closing his eyes. “Really,” he whispered.

“Papa, why are you sad?” Cali asked, pulling away from him and placing a hand on his cheek. 

“I…” He struggled to think of something to say to her. She was too young to know the truth. Too young to understand why her papa and granddaddy weren’t speaking. “I’m just scared, sweetie. I don’t want anything to happen to the baby.”

Cali smiled and wriggled out of his arms, resting her head in his lap and turning to look at his stomach. “I’ll protect you, baby,” she whispered, pressing a kiss against his stomach.

Tears appeared in Rory’s eyes and he had to swallow thickly to stop himself from bursting into tears. Instead, he reached out and pulled Cali back into his arms and held her as tight as she could.

Maybe if he closed his eyes and focused, he could pretend the world was perfect and wonderful.

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Rory was sitting on the edge of the bed, having already put Cali to bed, when Felix returned home later that night. 

The Time Lord was caked in mud and blood; blood that Rory hoped wasn’t his own. Felix nodded wearily in greeting before shrugging his clothes off and heading into the bathroom to shower.

Rory sighed heavily and heaved himself from the bed; gathering up the clothes Felix had left. He removed the Time Lord’s wallet and phone from his pocket before depositing the dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

By the time Felix emerged from the shower, feeling cleaner than he had all day, Rory was sitting on the bed again, waiting for his lover to return. Silently, he pointed to the dresser where there was a cup of tea waiting for Felix.

“Thanks,” Felix smiled gratefully, clutching the warm cup in his hands and taking a tentative sip, testing the heat. 

Silence passed between them as Felix dried himself off and pulled on his boxer shorts and a T-shirt. Rory sighed, knowing that the T-shirt meant there was no hope of them having sex – not that he was really in the mood anyway.

“You’re going to tell me you agree with him, aren’t you?” Rory asked softly, running his fingers over the pattern on the duvet.

Felix sighed and looked at his lover, hesitating in speaking his mind. “I… Yes,” he eventually admitted. Rory tensed and Felix quickly added, “I agree with what Nick said, not Jack. That… What he said was out of order.”

Rory nodded slowly, visibly relaxing as he moved beneath the covers, turning to face away from Felix.

The Time Lord watching his lover with sad eyes, before he climbed into bed as well, pressing himself against Rory’s back. “I just think that you need to be extra careful, that’s all.”

Rory remained silent and Felix pressed a kiss against the back of Felix’s neck. “Maybe the time off will do you good,” Felix continued, running his hand over Rory’s stomach.

“I’ll go mad, Fe,” Rory eventually whined, covering Felix’s hand with his own. “What am I supposed to do?”

Felix chuckled and tightened his hold on Rory a little. “I dunno,” he replied. “Maybe you could learn how to knit?” he suggested.

Rory scowled and elbowed his partner painfully in the ribs. “Fuck off,” he muttered, closing his eyes and leaning back in Felix’s embrace.

“I think Cali is an empath,” Rory murmured after a long moment of companionable silence, lacing his fingers with Felix’s.

Felix stiffened a little in surprise. “What makes you think that?” he asked.

“Earlier, while you were at work, she knew that something was wrong with me when I didn’t even say anything.”

“But to be fair it is really easy to tell when you’re pissed off,” Felix replied. 

Rory shook his head. “I wasn’t pissed off. I was upset,” he argued. “She’s got some kind of empathic ability, Fe, I know she has.”

Felix pressed a kiss against his partner’s hair. “Well it makes sense if she has. Your tad is empathic and you are a little bit.”

“I don’t want her to be though,” Rory murmured. “She shouldn’t be able to feel other peoples pain.”

The Time Lord hugged his partner tightly. “She won’t. When she’s old enough we’ll teach her how to block. Don’t worry about her, Rory. She’ll be okay, she’ll have the best teachers ever.”

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

It was almost midnight when a loud noise woke Martha from a deep sleep. She started in fear at the sound, trying to figure out what it was. Beside her Tom continued slumbering peacefully, blissfully unaware of the noise around him. 

The noise sounded again and she realised someone was knocking on the door. Sighing and cursing to herself, the retired doctor threw the sheets back and climbed out of the bed, throwing on her dressing gown and heading down the stairs.

Looking through the peephole, she scowled when she saw a familiar face. “Jack,” she sighed, opening the door and glaring at her friend in the moonlight. “It’s the middle of the night. This had better be urgent.”

Jack looked up and in the dim light she saw tears on the Captain’s cheeks. “Sorry,” he whispered, his voice barely audible in the still night. “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Martha replied, all annoyance gone at the sight of her friend’s tears. “What’s wrong?” she asked, ushering Jack into the living room and forcing him to sit down on the couch.

Quickly she set about making tea, not asking if Jack wanted any. He was upset; tea always helped.

When she returned to the couch, Jack explained – in accurate detail – what had happened between him and Ianto.

By the time Jack reached Ianto’s accusations about the Doctor, Martha gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that,” she reasoned.

Jack shook his head, “He did mean it, Martha. You don’t know him as well as I do: The real him. He’s an arsehole.”

“You don’t mean that, Jack,” Martha said softly, placing a hand on his arm. “You love him.”

“And look where that’s got me,” Jack snapped bitterly.

“What? Over twenty years of marriage, two children and three grandchildren?” Martha argued. “Most people would kill for that kind of life, Jack.”

Jack closed his eyes, realising how selfish he sounded. Fifteen years before, Martha had been told that she and Tom would never have any children of their own. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t think…”

Martha silenced him with a hug. “You do that a lot, Jack Harkness,” she quipped, a smirk playing on her face. “You know you can stay here,” she replied, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Jack offered her a thankful smile. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I… I didn’t know where else to go.”

Martha brushed his hair away from his forehead. It amazed her how motherly she could be about the other members of the team, especially Jack: even though he was old enough to be her great-great-grandfather.

She just hoped he and Ianto would be okay in the long run. They had been together too long to split up now.

TBC


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are flashbacks.

Chapter 27

Jack shifted in his sleep and reached his arm out for his partner, his subconscious mind not realising that he was on his own in Martha’s spare room.

Across Cardiff, in a bed far too large for one person, Ianto was just slipping into a restless sleep. He never slept well when he was alone and that night was no exception.

_Jack turned over in the large bed and blinked in surprise. He could have sworn when he and Ianto had gone to bed the previous night, there had only been two of them in the bed._

_Now there was a scrawny seven year old buried beneath in the blankets, sleeping peacefully between his parents. Jack smiled as he looked down at his sleeping son’s face. He really didn’t look like either of them. It was a good job, Jack mused, running his hand over Rory’s hair. He had managed to keep his identity secret from Jack and Ianto for so long in the past – if he had looked like either parent there would have been no way he could have managed it._

_“Rory,” Jack whispered, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder and gently trying to shake him awake._

_Rory whined and rolled over, burying his face in Jack’s shoulder as he continued sleeping._

_Jack smiled and wrapped his arms around his son as he continued sleeping. Rory wasn’t a morning person at all and hated it when he was woken up – preferring to wake on his own._

_Ianto stretched in his sleep and rolled over, his eyes fluttering open. He smiled when he saw Rory cuddled with Jack. “Morning,” he whispered, leaning over and pressing a kiss against Jack’s lips. “Is he okay?” he added, kissing his seven-year-old son’s hair_

_Jack nodded and shifted his grip on Rory. “You know what he’s like first thing in the morning,” he commented._

_The assassin chuckled and nodded his head. “The Rift was active last night,” he told Jack. “The team handled it. It wasn’t that bad, but he must have felt it.”_

_“What time did he come in with us?” Jack asked, he must have been incredibly tired the previous night – it was rare that he didn’t feel their children climb into bed with them._

_“About two,” Ianto replied. “He came in complaining of a headache. I’m surprised you didn’t wake up.”_

_“I must have been exhausted,” Jack murmured, pressing a kiss against his son’s forehead. “Are we ever going to tell him?” he asked quietly._

_Ianto shrugged a little. “You heard him on the CCTV footage, he didn’t know what was wrong with him. We can’t tell him until he gets back from 2008.”_

_Jack sighed and nodded his head, agreeing that Ianto was right. He reached over and laced their fingers together. “I hope the Rift stays quiet next week,” he murmured, running his thumb over the back of Ianto’s hand._

_“Yeah,” Ianto agreed. “I don’t want him to be in pain during the ceremony, it’s not fair.”_

_They had agreed to make their relationship official six months before, when Jack had proposed to Ianto from underneath a lot of alien blood. Ianto had been reluctant to accept the proposal at first, but had eventually agreed._

_Rory and Dominic had been so excited that they got to be part of their parent’s commitment ceremony. Rory especially was looking forward to accompanying his Aunt Martha to the wedding; Dominic was accompanying Tish._

_“If the Rift plays up, we’ll just postpone the ceremony until he’s feeling better again,” Jack agreed._

_Ianto leant up and pressed a kiss to Jack’s lips again. “I love you, Will,” he whispered, running his hand through his hair. “If we don’t get married next week, we’ll do it the week after, or whenever we can. It’s not worth it if our entire family can’t enjoy it.”_

In different houses, in different areas of Cardiff, two immortal Time Agents slept awfully that night.

TBC


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Jack woke in an unfamiliar bed, and while it had happened before, he was confused. Waking up in someone else’s bed hadn’t happened to him since the late twentieth century.

It took several moments for his tired mind to catch up with him, but when it reminded him that he was in Martha’s spare room, he felt a rush of anger wash over him. Not anger directed at Martha. No, this anger was directed at his own partner.

Partner. Jack looked down at his left hand. He had been so reluctant to wear a ring at first – not liking the obvious twenty-first-century sign of marriage. But Ianto had argued that they were getting married in the twenty-first century and they stuck there for the foreseeable future, they might as well try to blend in as much as possible.

Now all that remained of the ring was a thin band of pale skin on his fourth finger. The ring itself was probably lying on the top of a scrap heap somewhere by now, or sitting in a pawnshop window waiting to be bought.

Jack grimaced at the taste in his mouth and slowly got to his feet. He knew he’d have to go home soon - if for no other reason than to grab his toothbrush. He had been in such a hurry to get away from Ianto the previous night that he hadn’t thought about grabbing anything he might need other than his greatcoat.

He quickly pulled on his clothes from the previous day and headed down the stairs. The house was still in darkness and Jack realised that it was still pretty early in the morning. He scrawled a note and stuck it to the fridge with magnets before fastening his coat ready to brave the world outside.

~

Ianto had already left the house when Jack used his key to let himself in. Being in the house felt strange after he had stormed out the night before. He felt like he was invading someone else’s privacy and trespassing in someone else’s home. Never mind that the house was in both his and Ianto’s names and had been for over thirty years.

In the bedroom, Jack opened the wardrobe and paused when he felt a swarm of emotions hit him hard. He choked on tears when he realised that he didn’t know how long it would be before he could come home and feel like he belonged – or if he even could come home period.

He and Ianto had been through their rough spots in the past – neither of them had the best of tempers – but they had never fought to the point that Jack thought it was the end for them.

Pulling a suitcase out from under the bed, Jack flipped it open and slowly began placing his clothes in it. He knew Martha had meant it the previous night when she had said Jack could stay for as long as he wanted.

When he accidentally pulled out one of Ianto’s shirts, Jack froze in his tracks. Looking down at the red shirt in his hand, he choked on a sob and slid to the ground, pressing the shirt to his face as he cried for their relationship.

TBC


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Ianto smiled at the girl behind the counter and held his hand out for his change, pocketing it before collecting his paper and making his way back home. 

It was barely seven in the morning and the streets were almost empty as Ianto slowly made his way home.

Rounding the corner, Ianto paused and watched as a very familiar car pulled away from the house - Jack’s. 

Walking down the driveway and unlocking the door, Ianto looked around to see if anything seemed out of place. 

Nothing seemed as though it had moved. Although, Jack’s spare boots were missing from their home at the bottom of the stairs. No matter how many times Ianto told him to move them, he never did. Ianto had lost count of how many times Rory and Dominic had tripped over them as kids, thankfully they had never hurt themselves too bad.

Slowly Ianto made his way up the stairs, already realising why Jack had been at the house, but not really wanting to look for fear that he wouldn’t wake up from the horrible dream he was in.

Ianto placed his hands on the wardrobe door handles, trying to forestall the inevitable. He took a deep breath and choked on a sob when he opened the doors to find Jack’s half of the wardrobe empty. 

There had been so many blue shirts and navy trousers hanging in the wardrobe for so long, Ianto couldn’t stand the sight of the bare wardrobe. With an angry glare he slammed the door closed and pulled open Jack’s drawers. All of them were empty except for a single white T-shirt the Captain had left in his haste.

Ianto pulled the T-shirt from the drawer and kicked it closed. With tears rolling down his face, Ianto slid onto the floor and leant back against the drawers. He pressed the T-shirt to his face, breathing in Jack’s scent and crying for their broken relationship.

TBC


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Dominic was sat in the tourist office when the door opened and Jack entered, wet from the rain outside. The younger man couldn’t help notice the dark shadows that had appeared under his father’s eyes; clearly he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before.

“Hey,” he greeted, smiling at Jack and turning back to the magazine he was reading. He hated being on ‘Tourist Office duty’ but their most recent employee had gone back to University with happy memories of spending her summer in the Mediterranean, and they had yet to find a replacement.

Jack smiled back at him, although Dominic noticed that it didn’t reach his blue eyes. “Is everyone else here yet?” he asked, looking in the direction of the secret entrance to Torchwood.

Dominic shook his head, flicking the page over and continuing reading. “Not yet,” he informed Jack.

To Dominic’s surprise, Jack breathed a sigh of relief and leant against the counter. “Dominic,” he began, making his son’s head snap up in disbelief; the use of his full name always meant that something was wrong. “There’s something you need to know.”

Instantly, panic flared inside of Dominic and he set aside the magazine. “What’s wrong?” he demanded. “Is it Kat? Or Rory?”

Jack shook his head, rushing to assure his son that none of their family were injured or dying. “It’s me and your tad,” he admitted.

Dominic’s forehead crumpled in confusion. “What?”

“We…” Jack frowned as he tried to think of the right word. “We’ve separated,” he finally stated.

“You… What?” Dominic cried.

“Separated,” Jack said with a sigh. “Last night…” He shook his head, not wanting to go into full detail about what had happened between him and Ianto. “We just… A lot of things were said and we’ve decided that we need some time apart.” 

It was a lie, they hadn’t decided anything officially, but Jack knew there was no way he was ready to go back home, and no way Ianto would let him after some of the things they had said.

“But…”

“It’s got nothing to do with either you or Rory, Nick,” Jack replied, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. “This has probably been coming for a while. Who knows, maybe it’ll do us some good.”

TBC


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Dominic kicked the door closed with a sigh and leant against the wood, closing his eyes. He was supposed to be on duty, watching the Hub overnight but after Jack’s bombshell earlier, Linda and Julian had practically kicked him out of the base, instructing him to get some rest.

Kat was sitting on the couch, her legs folded underneath her. Books and notepads were spread over the coffee table as her right hand flew across the page, scrawling notes Dominic had no way of deciphering; if there was ever any doubt about her medical calling, the state of her handwriting would convince anyone.

She looked up when she heard the door close, her hand stilling momentarily. “Hey,” she greeted her father, grinning brightly before turning back to her studying.

When Dominic didn’t reply, Kat looked up again in concern. “Dad?” she asked, placing her pen down on the table. “Are you okay?”

Dominic nodded his head slowly before shaking it from side to side. “Not really,” he admitted, closing his eyes and running his hand over his face. He drew a breath, not liking how much it shuddered as the air entered his lungs.

In an instant, Kat abandoned her studying completely and was at her father’s side. “Dad?” she pressed, putting a hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

The leader of Torchwood opened his eyes, smiling at her reassuringly, but he knew it didn’t meet his eyes. 

Kat took his hands in hers and pulled him over to the couch. Remaining silent, Kat pushed her father back into the cushions and headed into the kitchen. Opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of beer, she quickly opened it and headed back into the living room where Dominic was still sat, staring into space.

“Here,” she whispered, handing him the bottle and curling up next to him. She remained silent, watching as he took a drink and sighed when he felt the cold liquid slide down his throat. “Dad, what’s…?”

“Grandpa and Granddad,” Dominic replied, his fingers playing with the label on the bottle.

Kat frowned in confusion, “What about them?” she questioned.

Dominic took another breath, falling silent as he considered whether to tell her the truth. In the end he decided that she deserved to know; unlike Cali, she was old enough to know what was happening with her grandparents.

“They’ve separated,” he murmured quietly. 

The young girl gasped in surprise. “Separated?” she asked, her green eyes welling up with tears. “Why?”

Her father shrugged his shoulders. “Dad said they just need ‘some space’,” he replied flatly.

Kat inched closer to her dad, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and hugging him tightly.

“Shouldn’t I be comforting you?” Dominic asked, laughing weakly as he rested his head on her shoulder.

The student laughed and pressed a kiss against her dad’s hair. “Sometimes it’s okay for me to comfort you as well.”

Dominic smiled and hugged her, curling his own legs underneath him as well. “I… I just don’t want them to split up for good.” He laughed through tears and shook his head, “God, how hypocritical do I sound?”

Kat smiled and rested her head on Dominic’s shoulder. “Mum left when I was… what, three? You’ve been split up almost my entire life, dad,” she reminded him. “Granddad and Grandpa have been together for almost forty years; you’ve never known them to be apart. It’s bound to be strange and hurt. But they’re not doing this to hurt you or Uncle Rory.”

Dominic laughed and leant forward, picking one of her notebooks up off the table and looking at the title. Kat frowned as she watched him, “What are you doing?” she asked.

“Looking for a psychology book,” he murmured. “You weren’t this insightful three months ago.”

His daughter rolled her eyes and swatted him on the back. “I’m trying to help and all I get is lip,” she muttered, grabbing one of the books and flipping it over.

Dominic laughed when he saw the title, ‘Psychology Revision Guide’.

TBC


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

On his first day of suspension, Rory woke up automatically with Felix when the Time Lord’s alarm went off. He was halfway out of the bed when he felt a hand on his arm and turned back to look at Felix questioningly.

“Where are you going?” the younger man asked quietly.

Rory frowned in confusion before memories of the previous day came rushing back to him and he fell back onto the mattress with a sigh. “This is going to be torture,” he muttered, running his hand over his face and glaring at Felix as he got out of bed and headed over to the bedroom door. “I’m going to go mad,” he stated, leaning up on one elbow.

Felix rolled his eyes. “You won’t go mad,” he replied, opening the door. “Think of it as a well deserved break,” he added before heading down the hallway into the bathroom.

“A well deserved break I don’t want,” Rory muttered to himself.

He leant back against the pillows and closed his eyes, trying to decide what he could do during his suspension.

When Felix returned from his shower, Rory was still lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. “Stop moping,” the Time Lord instructed firmly. “Cali’ll be up in a bit and you get to take her to school; enjoy it while you can.”

~

Felix had just opened the secret door leading down from the tourist office to the Hub, when Dominic came out, pushing the Time Lord back out on to the pier. 

“About turn,” Dominic instructed, closing the office door and locking it. “We just got a call.”

Felix sighed and thrust his hands in his pockets, following Dominic down the pier and back across to the Plass where the SUV was now waiting for them. “Where are we going?” he asked, opening the back door of the car and sliding in next to Julian.

“Splott,” Dominic replied, jumping into the drivers seat and starting the engine. Automatically Felix reached for the seat belt, Dominic had been taught to drive by Jack and it was so obvious. “Someone just claimed her husband tried to kill her.”

~

When they reached the house, the police were already there. “I swear,” Dominic growled, banging his hand against the horn angrily. “Fucking move!” he shouted at the police who glared at him.

Somehow he managed to get the SUV closer to the house. “What the hell is going on here?” he demanded, jumping out of the car and glaring at the nearest police officer. “Do you people not pay attention? I specifically told the mayor and chief of police that you were to stay away from any scenes we were investigating!”

The officer glared at Dominic. “Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but…”

Dominic pulled his ID card out and shoved it in the cop’s face. “Dominic Harkness-Jones,” he introduced himself. The police officer’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s right,” Dominic added, “I’m the leader of Torchwood and we’ve already told you to back off and let us handle this. Now fuck off!” he shouted, making all the police officers jump.

“Oh that was very diplomatic,” Felix commented from beside his brother in law.

Dominic sighed, watching as the police quickly moved away from the scene; letting the real professionals take over and do their jobs. “Sometimes there’s no time for diplomacy.”

The Torchwood team confidently made their way into the house, not looking at the police officers who were still lingering around the house. There were dirty footprints trailing in and out of the building, staining the previously cream carpet black.

“I swear,” Felix muttered, looking down at the mess in disdain. “Don’t people know how to wipe their feet?”

Dominic chuckled at Felix and rolled his eyes. “Focus, Felix,” he instructed, a laugh in his voice before he barked orders to the other members of the team, telling them to go upstairs and make sure there were no intruders remaining in the house.

He lead Felix into the kitchen where Sophie Withers was sitting at the kitchen table, sobbing uncontrollably as she was comforted by a female police officer.

Dominic was about to snap something at the remaining officer when Felix laid a hand on his arm, silencing his boss. “Let me handle this,” Felix requested, stepping around Dominic and moving closer to the table.

The Time Lord placed a hand on the police officer’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispered, smiling reassuringly at her. “We’re Torchwood, we’ll take it from here.”

The police officer smiled gratefully and murmured assurances to Sophie that Felix and Dominic would help her. “Thank you,” Felix murmured, watching as the officer left the room.

“See?” Felix smirked, looking up at Rory’s brother. “A little diplomacy doesn’t hurt.”

Dominic rolled his eyes. “In that case, I’d better keep you around. Saves me being diplomatic.”

Felix sat down at the table next to Sophie. “Hello,” he said softly, running hand over the young woman’s back. “I’m Felix and this is Dominic,” he introduced them. “Are you Sophie?”

She nodded her head mutely, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Are you with the police?”

Dominic shook his head, sitting at the table opposite Sophie and Felix. “No,” he replied softly. “We’re from an agency called Torchwood.”

Sophie frowned. “Never heard of them,” she scoffed.

The leader of Torchwood flashed her a brilliant smile on a par with Jack’s. “You won’t have. We only let people about us when we’re needed.”

“And it looks like we’re needed now,” Felix replied with a smile of his own. “What happened here?” he asked softly.

Sophie took a deep breath in and closed her eyes, collecting her thoughts before she began to speak. “Brad – that’s my husband – was at work all day yesterday. That was strange anyway, he usually only works the morning shift.”

“Did he ring you to say he was working over?” Dominic asked.

Sophie shook her head. “Nothing; that’s why it was so strange. He knows I worry about him.”

“You said in your 999 call that your husband tried to kill you,” Felix said carefully, not wanting to upset the woman further.

“He… He did,” she sobbed. “Brad didn’t come home until this morning. When he didn’t come home yesterday, I called the company and they told me that him and his partner didn’t report in yesterday afternoon.”

“He came home this morning but there was something different about him. He wasn’t Brad anymore.”

Dominic leant forward, resting his arms against the tabletop. “What do you mean? He wasn’t himself?” he asked urgently.

Sophie stared at him for a long moment before she spoke, “He wasn’t speaking. It was as though he didn’t know where he was or who I was. He kept trying to reach for my throat, like he wanted to snap it.”

“How did you get away from him?” Felix pressed.

The woman blushed and lowered her head. “I hit him with a frying pan and ran. I called the police from my neighbour’s house – Louise, she lives at number 33 – she let me use her phone. I came back with the police and he was already gone.”

She burst into tears again and Felix wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. “Shh,” he whispered, trying her best to sooth her. “It’s going to be okay,” he added, trying to convince both of them.

TBC


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Ianto pulled his car into the driveway and looked up at the house in front of him. When Rory and Felix had first bought the house it had been a mess – paint had been peeling and the windows needed upgrading to double-glazing.

But now, after living there for almost ten years, the house was a thing of beauty. The gardens were perfectly tidy (or at least the front was. The backyard was a completely different story, it wasn’t possible to have a tidy backyard with a small child living there). The paintwork was neat and the windows were shiny and gleaming.

The immortal assassin wished he was at his youngest son’s house to merely visit him. But, unfortunately, he had to tell Rory something he had never wanted to announce.

Jack had sent him a message a few hours before saying nothing more than, ‘I’ve told Nick about us. You need to tell Rory’. There were no terms of endearment on the end of it or anything and Ianto knew that although they hadn’t officially discussed it, their current separated status would last for a while. It not indefinitely.

Ianto turned the engine off and slowly made his way down the drive, trying to figure out how he was going to break the news to Rory. By the time he’d reached the door, Ianto still had no idea what was he going to say and when the door opened he knew he wouldn’t have chance to think through his options.

“Hey!” Rory greeted brightly, grinned at Ianto.

“How… How did you know I was here?” Ianto asked in confusion – he hadn’t called Rory to let him know he was coming.

Rory rolled his eyes and pointed to the large bay window. “Kinda hard to miss a car rolling into my driveway,” he pointed out in amusement.

Ianto laughed as Rory stepped to the side, allowing his tad to enter the house. “How are you feeling?” Ianto asked, looking back over his shoulder at Rory as he made his way into the living room.

The television was on, a cheap trashy daytime soap opera and Ianto smirked looking back at Rory as he sunk onto the couch. “Soaps?” he raised an eyebrow, nodding at the television.

The younger man glared at Ianto and muted the television. “There’s nothing else on,” he retorted.

Ianto chuckled and looked around the room, trying to think of something to say, other than the message that he had come there to deliver. “Where’s Cali?” he eventually asked.

Rory looked at him incredulously. “It’s ten in the morning, tad,” he pointed out. “She’s at school.”

Ianto blinked in surprise and looked at his watch. “Oh,” he murmured. “Didn’t realise what time it was,” he admitted softly.

At Ianto’s words alarm bells went off in Rory’s head. Ianto never lost track of time. For as long as Rory could remember, Ianto had always been on time for every appointment.

“Okay,” Rory demanded, turning the television off and turning back to Ianto. “What’s wrong?”

Ianto sighed and closed his eyes; he knew Rory had noticed his lack of attention. “I…” He opened his eyes and looked at Rory, “Sit down,” he instructed softly.

Rory frowned but complied nevertheless, sitting down next to Ianto. “Tad…”

Ianto reached out and covered Rory’s hand with his own. “It’s…” he sighed again and decided that he had no other way to explain. “It’s me and your dad.”

Rory’s eyes darkened and Ianto was amazed at how much hatred he saw on his son’s face – hatred directed towards to Jack. “I don’t want to know about him,” he muttered, getting to his feet and shifting things around by the television.

“We’ve… separated,” Ianto finally said, not knowing what other word to use.

Rory paused in his movements, not looking back at Ianto. “Oh,” he whispered, his back still to Ianto.

Ianto didn’t need his empathic abilities to be able to feel the guilt rolling off of Rory. The feelings were so strong that Ianto was almost overwhelmed by them. He got to his feet and moved over to his son. Placing his hands Rory’s shoulders, he slowly turned the younger man around so he could look in him in the eye. 

“This has nothing to do with you, Rory,” Ianto assured him. “I know you. I know what you’re feeling…” Rory glared at him for being able to sense what he was feeling without him saying anything. “But none of this is your fault,” Ianto continued.

“How can I believe that?” Rory demanded, looking at Ianto with watery blue eyes. “You find out I’m pregnant, then less than twenty four hours you tell me that you and dad have separated. What am I supposed to think? Tell me, tad, how am I supposed to believe that this isn’t my fault?”

Ianto pulled Rory into his arms and hugged him tightly. “I mean it, Rory,” he reiterated. “This isn’t your fault. Last night your dad and I got into an argument – an argument I started. We both said things that we probably shouldn’t have, but we certainly meant every word.”

He pulled back a little and looked into Rory’s eyes. “Don’t worry about us, Rory. This is our battle. You let us worry about our love life, you worry about yours.”

TBC


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Felix came home around lunchtime to check on Rory, to find that the living room was completely different from how it had been when he left. All the sheets were clean and the dishes were washed and dried.

“You’ve been busy,” Felix commented, shrugging his jacket off and throwing it over the back of a chair at the kitchen table.

Rory looked up from the book he was reading as he ate a sandwich and glared at his lover. “The only problem is, I don’t know what to this afternoon,” he snapped.

Felix smiled and brushed Rory’s hair away from his face and pressing a kiss against his forehead. “You’ll be fine,” he murmured, running his hand down Rory’s cheek.

Rory watched as Felix moved around the kitchen, making himself something to eat. “Tad came by earlier on,” he almost whispered as Felix reached for the bread.

Felix glanced at his partner over his shoulder. “That’s good,” he enthused. “At least you haven’t been on your own all day. You should do more stuff with him…”

“He came to tell me that him and dad have split up,” Rory interrupted.

The Time Lord paused and turned to face Rory fully. “What?” he asked in disbelief.

Rory shrugged his shoulders. “Tad actually said they’d separated, but it usually means the same, doesn’t it?” he snapped bitterly.

Quickly Felix stopped the task he was doing and moved back over to Rory, pulling the older man up and into his arms. “I’m sorry, Rory,” he whispered, pressing his lips to his soft hair. “When did they decide that?”

“About three hours after they found out I was pregnant again,” Rory whispered, resting his head against Felix’s. He let out a hollow laugh, “And tad expects me to believe that it wasn’t my fault they were arguing? I’m sorry, but that’s far too much of a coincidence for my liking.”

“And you don’t believe in coincidences,” Felix murmured, running his hands up and down Rory’s back and pressing a kiss on his forehead. “I don’t know what the argument was about, Rory, but it’s not your fault.”

Rory remained silent and Felix closed his eyes, silently cursing Ianto for telling his son about the separation while he was pregnant. Rory’s hormones were volatile enough while he was pregnant, he didn’t need the added stress his parents separating would bring; and the baby sure as Hell didn’t need it either.

“Have you spoken to Nick?” Felix eventually asked.

“I called him just after tad left,” Rory admitted. “Dad told him yesterday.”

“In front of everyone?” Felix asked in disbelief. He knew subtly wasn’t Jack’s strong point, but even that seemed excessive.

Rory shook his head. “Before everyone got there. I know I shouldn’t point the finger at either of them – and I know tad said he started the argument – but I bet dad did. He hates it when he doesn’t get his way, so for me to turn around and tell him ‘no’ for the first time in my life…”

Felix sighed and pressed his lips to Rory’s forehead. “If your tad says he started the fight, than Ianto started it,” Felix stated evenly. “Why would he lie to you?”

“To protect dad?” Rory suggested. “To stop me from hating him? Well that’s tough shit ‘cos I hate him for trying to make me do something I don’t want to do anyway.”

Felix closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Rory. “You don’t hate him, Rory. He’s your dad, you can’t hate him.”

“Why not?” Rory demanded, pulling away from Felix and sitting back down at the table. “You hate your dad,” he pointed out.

“My dad is a drunk and my mum should have left him twenty years ago,” Felix argued, glaring at Rory for even bringing the other man into the conversation. “Your dad has never drunk – at least not in your lifetime – and he’s never raised a hand to you or Nick. It’s not fair to compare the two, Rory.”

Silence fell over the kitchen and Rory shifted uncomfortably at the tension in the room, until he changed the subject by murmuring, “What… Er… What did you do at work?”

Felix sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Don’t make the suspension harder on yourself, Rory,” he whispered.

Rory closed his eyes. “Please, Fe,” he begged, opening his blue eyes and looking at Felix forlornly. “I need to stay connected to the Hub somehow.”

Felix studied his lover before he sighed in resignation. “Someone’s loving husband tried to kill her earlier today,” he eventually told Rory.

“That doesn’t sound like something that’s related to Torchwood,” Rory frowned in confusion.

The Time Lord shrugged his shoulders. “Dominic thought it was,” he replied.

“What do you think is it was then?” Rory asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. His blue eyes were looking at Felix eagerly, as though he was hanging on every word his lover said.

Felix shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “No idea,” he admitted. 

The Time Lord’s phone began ringing loudly and Felix frowned, glaring at the display screen. “Sorry,” he whispered, flipping the phone open and answering the call with a weary, “Yeah?”

He fell silent as he listened to whoever was on the other end the line. “Okay, I’ll meet you at the end of the road,” he agreed, snapping the phone closed once more and pushing it back into his pocket.

“I have to go,” he stated, looking up at Rory, regret at having to leave filling his voice as he got to his feet.

Rory sighed and nodded his head, watching forlornly as Felix shrugged the coat on and pulled the zip up. “What time will you be home?” he asked, running his fingers over the grain on the table in front of him.

Felix brushed Rory’s hair away from his forehead. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “I’ll call you if I’m going to be late.”

The older man nodded his head, not looking at Felix. “Okay,” he murmured.

Felix placed his hand under Rory’s chin, tilting his head back so he could look in his partner’s eyes. “I love you,” he whispered, kissing him softly, leaving Rory alone in the house.

TBC


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

_Two weeks later_

Dominic leant against the desk and closed his eyes. Things were getting out of hand; he knew that. But what he didn’t know was why, or how to stop it. All across Cardiff people were reporting their loved ones turning on them without warning.

The police had washed their hands of the matter. Now, instead of even trying to deal with the problems, they were instantly forwarding all calls of a strange nature to Torchwood.

They were overwhelmed and understaffed, especially with Rory still on suspension. They simply didn’t have the manpower to follow up on every lead. 

The leader in Dominic was telling him that he needed to bring Rory back to work, but the Harkness-Jones in him wouldn’t let him swallow his pride and let Rory back.

The computer beeped loudly and Dominic sighed as he glanced at the screen: Another strange sighting.

He was the only member of the team not out in the field and that was only because he had needed to check on something in his office. Although, at that moment, his couch was beginning to look incredibly inviting. He was exhausted, the only reason he was still awake was the amount of coffee in his blood.

With a sigh, the leader of Torchwood Three grabbed his mobile phone and slowly began to scroll through the names. He hesitated when he reached the name he was looking for.

But one look at the computer screen made his mind up for him and he sighed as he pressed the call button.

After a few moments, when Dominic thought he wasn’t going to get an answer, the ringing stopped and a familiar voice greeted him. “Hey, Nick.”

“Dad, I need your help…”

~

When Jack arrived at the Hub, he was surprised to find Ianto standing next to a computer with Dominic.

Ianto looked up when he heard the cog door rolling open and frowned when he saw Jack. “Dominic, what’s going on?” he asked, slowly turning to face his son.

Jack’s eyes darkened a little when Ianto spoke and he too turned to look at their eldest child. “If this is some half-hearted attempt at getting us back together you can forget it, because…”

Dominic shook his head and held his hands up in surrender. “It’s not, I swear. What you guys want to do is up to you, but I need help.” He looked over at Ianto and added, “From both of you. If you can’t be civil that’s fine, stay away from each other. But I don’t want the Hub to turn into a battlefield for your relationship. It stays out of work, understood?”

Jack and Ianto looked at their son in surprise; sometimes it was so difficult to believe that he had ever been anything other than the leader of Torchwood. He was so good at leading the team and being the boss.

“We’ll be good,” Ianto agreed and Jack nodded his head in agreement. Neither of them missed the irony of the parents being told off by the child.

“What do you need our help with?” Jack asked, stepping up to the computer and standing next to Dominic, all of the while avoiding eye-contact with Ianto – not that the younger man made any effort to meet Jack’s eyes himself.

TBC


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Martha glanced at her watch. It was almost time for the shops to close. She considered not bothering with milk, but they were out and she would need a cup of coffee in the morning, as Tom would need a cup of tea. And there was no way either of them were going to drink either beverage without milk.

Sighing, the former Torchwood agent gathered her bags from the shopping trolley and carefully made her way down the road to the co-op on the corner. It wasn’t her first choice for food shopping, but it was getting darker and starting to rain and she didn’t want to go any further.

There were a bunch of children in the shop near the counter, trying to decide what sweets to purchase with their money. She huffed a sigh of annoyance as she managed to squeeze her way past them. Normally she would have said something to them, but she was too tired to care.

Milk was her priority. That was all she wanted to get and go home.

Snatching the bottle she wanted from the refrigerator, she made her way back to the tills, relieved to see that the children had vanished. The bored woman behind the counter didn’t even look up at her as she ran the milk across the scanner.

“£1.98,” the woman stated, her voice sounding like a robot rather than a human being.

Mentally cursing the prices they managed to get away with charging, Martha handed over two pound coins. As soon as she had given Martha her change, the woman got up from behind the counter and disappeared, presumably going on her break.

“I swear,” Martha huffed in annoyance, picked up the milk bottle and made her way to the door, trying to figure out which bag to put the bottle in, finally giving it up as a bad job and deciding to keep hold of it. Her car wasn’t that far away, after all.

Halfway down the street, someone roughly pushed past Martha, banging their shoulder against hers painfully. This time the doctor wasn’t going to remain silent and she turned to face the rude dark haired woman.

“Do you mind watching where you’re going?” she demanded, raising up to her full height and glaring at the woman, daring her to fight. “You could have knocked me over.”

Silently the woman turned around and looked at Martha. Martha drew in a surprised gasp and the milk bottle slipped from her hand, shattering on the ground at her feet. But Martha was too preoccupied to notice.

The woman standing in front of her was unmistakably, despite the effect time had had on her, was Gwen Cooper.

TBC


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Jack filled a glass with water and returned to the living room where Ianto was sitting with Martha, trying to comfort her. “Here you go,” he whispered, handing her the glass and sitting down on the coffee table. “Are you okay?”

Martha snorted with laughter and took a sip of the water, grimacing at the taste – she had always hated the way tap water tasted. “What do you think, Jack?” she retorted, rolling her eyes at her immortal friend. “I’ve just seen someone I pronounced dead over thirty years ago.”

“Are you sure it was her?” Ianto asked softly, covering Martha’s hand with his own.

Martha nodded and swallowed another mouthful of water. “Positive,” she whispered. “How is that even possible?” she asked, looking over at Dominic, who was sat on the couch nearest the window. “I know I saw her.”

Dominic shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “There have been reports of people seeing…” he sighed, “for want of a different phrase, dead people for weeks. I always dismissed them as hallucinations.”

“It was not an hallucination, Dominic!” Martha insisted, glaring at her nephew.

Dominic blushed and slouched back, away from her angry gaze, just as his phone rang and he quickly answered it. 

“Okay, thanks,” he muttered to whoever was on the other end of the line before severing the connection.

“Was that Felix?” Ianto guessed.

“Yeah. You were right, aunt Martha,” Dominic added, smiling apologetically at her, “the person on the CCTV from the supermarket matches Gwen’s profile picture exactly.”

“That’s not possible,” Jack whispered, shaking his head.

“Dad…” Dominic began but Jack cut him off-

“No, Nick! She’s dead. We buried her before Rory was even born. There is no way she was in that street!”

When Martha spoke quietly, all the men in the room turned to look at her. “There was something in her eyes. It was like she knew who I was but couldn’t place me.”

Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Thank god, Rhys isn’t here to see this,” he murmured softly.

Ianto watched the other immortal pace the room, not speaking just watching. Jack was right; it was horrible to think, but if Rhys hadn’t died in his sleep a few years earlier, they would have a whole other problem on their hands.

“What are we dealing with, dad?” Dominic asked, looking up at his father with wide blue eyes. “Zombies?”

Jack looked over at Dominic and felt his breath leave him. It was moments like then that made Jack realise how young his sons really were – sure they were both over thirty, but they had both been forced to grow up a lot quicker than they should have. He couldn’t help but wonder if they had made the right decision to hand leadership of Torchwood over to Dominic and Rory after all.

“I have no idea,” Jack eventually admitted. “I suppose it’s possible but the last time there was a zombie running around Cardiff…” He trailed off, thinking about Owen and how he had been brought back.

He blinked and shook his head to clear away the thoughts of so long ago and added, “I think one of us should go to the cemetery where Gwen was… you know… to make sure everything’s okay.”

Only Ianto and Martha truly understood what Jack implying. Gwen had been buried in the same cemetery as Tosh. If something had happened to Gwen, Jack didn’t want the same thing happening to Tosh.

“I’ll go,” Ianto volunteered, getting to his feet and reaching for his jacket.

“I’ll come with you,” Dominic added, moving to get his own coat.

Ianto shook his head, “It’s okay. I’ll be okay on my own.”

He exchanged a glance with Jack and the Captain immediately said, “Nick, why don’t you go back to the Hub, see if you can get readings of any Rift activity around the supermarket. We might be able to figure out what’s going on.”

Dominic looked up at Ianto in confusion, trying to delve into Ianto’s mind to find out why he didn’t want him to go, but the assassin was the best telepathic blocker Dominic knew. The leader of Torchwood three hadn’t been able to read his father’s thoughts since he had been a kid.

Ianto knew immediately what Dominic was trying to do and quickly reinforced his mental shields, preventing the younger man from knowing what he was thinking. He threw Dominic a reproachful look, making his son blush bashfully and slouch down in his seat.

The assassin covered Martha’s hand with his own, squeezing it reassuringly. “We’ll figure out what’s going on, Martha,” he swore. “I promise.”

TBC


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Ianto pulled the car up to the cemetery and turned off the engine, looking out through the windshield. Between him leaving Martha’s and arriving at the cemetery the weather had taken a turn for the worst. Previously it had been overcast and cloudy, but the clouds had quickly gathered enough water to burst and begin raining.

Heaving a sigh, he reached behind him into the back seat and carefully pulled out a large umbrella.

The rain bounced loudly off of the umbrella as Ianto locked the car and slowly made his way through the iron gates and into the cemetery. The ground beneath his feet was muddy and he had to concentrate completely on where he was walking unless he wanted to find himself face down in the mud.

The cemetery was completely empty. Not many people had braved the elements to visit their loved ones. They would still be there tomorrow.

Ianto sincerely hoped that would be the case. He knew Martha wasn’t imagining seeing Gwen. He had seen too many strange things in his long life – and Jack during his even longer existence – to assume that the reports were simply figments of people’s imaginations.

He hated being in cemeteries. They reminded him of his tad and even after so long those memories were too painful to remember.

Taking a deep breath before rounding the corner, Ianto sent a silent prayer up to a god he didn’t believe in any more that he wouldn’t find anything.

~

Jack exited the Hub’s kitchen carrying a steaming hot cup of tea. He scanned the Hub, noting that Linda was by the weapon’s area categorising, while Blair leant against Felix’s desk watching something the Time Lord was showing him on the monitor.

“Where’s Nick?” Jack asked, seeing through the open door that his eldest son wasn’t in the office.

Felix glanced up and nodded to the door leading out of the main Hub, before turning back to the computer screen. “Said something about the Weevils,” he murmured.

Jack rolled his eyes at his son-in-law’s distraction and made his way down through the familiar maze of tunnels that lead to the cells.

Descending the stairs, Jack was suddenly aware of a horrible screeching noise. It sounded like someone was hurting the Weevil in the cage. 

“What’s wrong with it?” Jack asked, wincing at the noise and making his way over to Dominic who seemed to be unaffected by the unearthly noise.

Dominic looked up when he heard his father approach. “No idea,” he replied, taking the cup off of Jack and having a sip. He grimaced when he tasted that it was tea instead of coffee. “Why are you drinking that crap?” he asked. “What’s wrong with coffee?”

“Everything’s wrong with it when it’s not made by your…” his voice trailed off and Dominic silently berated himself for asking such an insensitive question.

“Have you seen anything like this before?” he asked, changing the subject as he handed the cup back to Jack.

The Captain’s blue eyes flickered over to the cell where the Weevil was leaning against the wall forlornly. “Once,” he eventually whispered. “Before you were born. Owen…” His throat constricted and he had to cough a little before he could speak. 

“When Owen was killed, I used something to bring him back from the dead. I was stupid and didn’t think it through fully because I brought him back as the living dead,” he admitted.

“The living dead?” Dominic echoed in surprise. Neither he nor Rory had been told about that. “Could whatever you used have been used on Gwen?” he asked softly.

Jack shook his head. “The glove was destroyed. It brought death with it – literally death. But Owen managed to overcome him and he had to return to wherever he came from.”

“But dad, gloves come in pairs,” Dominic pointed out.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. “You’re not the first person that’s told me that. I know how many gloves there are in a pair, Nick. The first one was destroyed almost a year before the second one was even found.”

“So, why do you think he’s,” Dominic nodded to the Weevil, “acting like that?”

Jack’s phone ringing from inside his pocket interrupted him and he pulled it out, looking at the display in surprise. It was Ianto.

“Hello?” he answered, flicking the phone open and putting it to his ear. Dominic watched in silence as Jack listened to Ianto before murmuring something and cancelling the call.

“What?” he demanded, knowing that Ianto wouldn’t be calling Jack unless it was work related.

“That was your tad,” Jack almost whispered, staring at the Weevil a little bit more. “The soil around Gwen’s grave has been disturbed recently. He used radar and… her grave is empty.”

Dominic sighed and closed his eyes. “So aunt Martha was right.”

Jack nodded. “And so were the others who said they’d seen their dead relatives. That’s why he’s,” he nodded to the Weevil, “reacting like this. The dead are literally walking again.”

TBC


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Three weeks into his suspension, Rory watched his partner put on his coat and leave the house. It was ten at night and Felix was supposed to have the night off. But halfway through their DVD, Dominic had called Felix into the Hub for back up.

Cali was spending the night with Kat - Rory had heard something about pizza and Disney films – leaving Rory all alone once Felix left.

Slowly Rory made his way up the stairs and headed down the corridor to his and Felix’s bedroom. He flicked the light on and headed to the dresser. The top drawer was split in half and Rory pulled open his half.

Rummaging around for a few moments, he pushed a pair of socks aside and smiled a little when his fingers curled around a cold piece of metal.

He withdrew the key and looked at it as it lay flat in the palm of his hand, the metal of the chain curled around his fingers. Jack had given it to him when he had been pregnant with Cali. The Captain hadn’t explained what it was made of, or where Jack had gotten it.

When he was wearing it, people seemed to ignore him. They walked past him, without even blinking an eyelid. It was obvious that whatever the key was made from, it had perception properties; just like the invisible lift.

Rory threw the chain around his neck, sliding the key under his T-shirt, gasping as he felt the cold metal against his skin. With the key on, he knew he could walk around Cardiff without people noticing that he was a little out of proportion compared to most men – as long as he didn’t draw attention to himself.

~

No one noticed when the cog door rolled back silently and Rory entered the Hub.

“Hey,” he greeted cheerfully, pulling the necklace off and stuffing it in his pocket.

The team jumped in surprise – including Felix – and they all turned to glare at him. “What the Hell was that for?” Felix demanded.

Rory smiled bashfully, “Sorry,” he murmured, crossing the Hub and greeting Felix with a kiss.

“How did you get in here?” Dominic demanded from where he had appeared in the doorway to his office.

The younger Harkness-Jones smirked and waved a laser pointer in the air. “You took my security pass but not my key,” he responded.

Dominic glared at his brother and nodded tensely over his shoulder, towards his office. “My office,” he growled. “Now.”

Rory rolled his eyes and nodded his head, crossing the Hub and following Dominic into what had once been their father’s office, closing the door softly behind him.

“You’re disobeying my order, Rory,” Dominic stated, a warning tone in his voice, sitting down in his chair and glaring at the other man.

“This isn’t the army, Nick,” Rory growled, lowering himself into the chair opposite the leader of Torchwood three. He knew Nick had a temper, but Rory could give back just as good as he got.

“What are you doing here, Ror?” Dominic asked, running a hand through his hair tiredly. 

Rory looked at his brother for a long moment before answering him. “I’m following your orders,” he replied.

“My orders?” Dominic echoed, his widening in surprise. “You mean…?”

“You were right, Nick,” Rory said softly. “I was reckless out there and you were right to suspend me.”

Dominic whistled in amazement. “That doesn’t happen very often,” he commented, chuckling to himself.

Rory glared at him fiercely. “Don’t push it,” he growled. Silence passed between the brothers before Rory added, “I mean it, Nick. I need to come back to work.”

Dominic smiled and got to his feet. He moved around the desk, placing a hand on Rory’s shoulder, squeezing affectionately. “I think everyone’ll be glad to have you back, Ror,” he whispered. “Especially Felix; I think you’re driving him mad.”

The younger man stood up and punched Dominic lightly on the shoulder. “Bastard,” he muttered. “I wish you’d get pregnant so I could take the piss out of you.”

TBC


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The Weevil’s weren’t the only creatures acting differently. Every alien in Cardiff – including the ones Torchwood didn’t know about – was acting strangely. It was almost as though they knew something bad was coming. 

Jack just wished they’d share the information with Torchwood. At least, that way they could be ready for whatever it was.

There had been yet another report of people seeing their long-dead grandfather. But by the time Jack had arrived with Dominic, the deceased relative had already left for a destination unknown. 

Dominic’s phone had beeped not long after leaving the devastated middle aged woman’s house. There was another sighting across the city. 

Felix was already on his way to pick up Dominic at that point so Jack had volunteered to go back to the Hub to do a scan of the city, to see if he could find any patterns between the sightings.

Jack parked Dominic’s car in the car park opposite the Millennium Centre and slowly made his way across the Plass, heading for the tourist office.

As he walked, his thought drifted back to Rory and the baby. He hoped that despite what had happened between them, they could make up at some point. He didn’t want to be missing from his grandchildren’s lives.

Jack was paying so much attention to his thoughts of Rory that he didn’t notice someone walking behind him, until they had their hands around his neck.

The Captain gasped in surprise and his hands flew up in an attempt to dislodge the fingers from his throat. They were cutting off his air supply, and he was finding it difficult to breath.

Whoever his attacker was, they were definitely stronger than the average human. No one had that much strength naturally. His eyes watered from the effort of trying to fight and breath at the same time. 

It wasn’t long before Jack’s breath was coming in short bursts, and his lungs began to feel like they were on fire. 

He gasped and pulled at the hands in one last feeble attempt at freeing himself before the world went dark and he died.

TBC


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

At their various locations, the Torchwood team glanced at their pockets when they began to beep wildly.

“What the Hell?” Dominic cried, pulling his PDA out and entering his security code. The readings that flashed up on the screen terrified him more than anything he had encountered for a long time. 

He pressed his index finger against his Bluetooth earpiece. “Where is everyone?” he demanded, listening carefully as they all replied with their locations – they were all still out in the field except Rory who was with Ianto and Cali.

“What’s going on?” Felix asked, stepping up to his brother in law and looking over his shoulder.

Dominic tilted the PDA towards the Time Lord, allowing him to read the information displayed. “The alarms at the Hub have just gone off,” he stated.

Felix’s eyes widened in surprise, “Which ones?” he asked in concern.

“The morgue,” Dominic replied, hurriedly stuffing the PDA back into his pocket. “We need to get back to the Hub.”

~

Felix pulled the car to a screeching halt on the Plass, not bothering to move the car to the car park.

Dominic was already out of the vehicle, almost before it had come to a complete stop. The older man ran toward the invisible lift, activating it as Felix joined him and they began their slow decent into the Hub. 

The lift must have been moving too slow for Dominic because he jumped off before it got to the bottom, his gun drawn ready for anyone – or anything – that might try surprise him.

Felix crossed the Hub and logged on to the computer, bringing up the heat signals for the base.

“There are only us in here,” he informed his boss after a moment. “Us and the Weevils.”

Dominic nodded his head, not holstering his gun. Ianto and Jack had taught him to be prepared for anything; he didn’t like surprises.

The cog door creaked and rolled as it slid open. Blair and Linda entered the Hub, guns drawn in protection, Rory and Julian right behind them.

“There’s no one else here,” Felix advised them all.

Blair, Linda and Julian breathed sighs of relief and holstered their guns. Rory however acted the same way Dominic did; the grip on his gun never shifted.

“Rory,” Dominic called, heading over to the door, “check the CCTV; see what happened. I’m going to check the morgue.”

Rory nodded his head, pushing his partner out of his seat and sitting down in his place as Dominic headed out of the main Hub.

TBC


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Jack gasped and flailed wildly as he came back to life. No matter how many times he came back, it still hurt like Hell. He had been living as an immortal man for far longer than Jack liked to think about, but had never gotten used to the feeling. He just hoped that he would become used to the feeling of life returning to his body at some point.

He looked around him, his head pounding as blood rushed in his ears. He was lying outside a restaurant in the bay, surrounded by a bunch of people looking at him in concern.

“Sir!” a female voice exclaimed, pressing a hand on his shoulder and forcing him to lie back down. “Be careful,” she murmured. “You were injured pretty badly.”

“I thought you said he was dead,” a male voice commented snidely from somewhere to Jack’s left.

“She obviously just couldn’t find him pulse,” another voice argued, quickly jumping to the woman’s defence.

Jack shook his head, trying to block out the voices and pushed himself to his feet, batting their hands away.

“Sir?” the first woman spoke, rushing forward and supporting Jack as he stumbled. “What happened?” she asked.

Jack looked around him, trying to figure out how he had got from where he was killed on the Plass to there. “I have no idea,” he murmured. “I have no idea.”

~

Dominic looked around the morgue frantically. Every single drawer was open. There wasn’t a single body still in Torchwood’s cold storage. “What the fuck happened?” he demanded, not really talking to anyone in particular.

He tapped a finger to his earpiece, “Rory,” he called to his younger brother who was up in the main Hub. “Have you managed to get the CCTV for the afternoon?”

Rory confirmed that he was indeed already bringing up the footage. Dominic looked around him in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that the whole morgue was empty. 

“Nick,” Rory called after a moment, his voice tight and strained. “I know who did this.”

“Who?”

Rory was silent on the other end of the line for a moment and Dominic huffed in annoyance and wished he were upstairs so he could smack his brother. “Don’t mess with me, Ror,” he warned.

“Nick, I… It was dad.”

TBC


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Rory, Dominic and Felix watched the CCTV footage in shock. 

Jack walked through the Hub, not paying attention to his surroundings or the technology. He seemed to have a destination in mind, and didn’t care about what he passed to get there.

The CCTV changed and showed Jack heading through the corridors, heading down the stairs into the morgue.

They watched as Jack used his Vortex Manipulator to unlock the drawers and watched with a satisfied smirk as the doors automatically opened.

Once he was certain the drawers were open, Jack turned on his heel and left the room, heading back out of the Morgue and the Hub altogether. 

The doors opened and the drawers slowly rolled out, displaying the bodies of Torchwood employees long since dead. They watched with baited breath as the bodies stirred and slowly sat up, climbing down from the cold slabs. 

They were in pristine condition, having been frozen almost since the moment of their death. Many of them flexed their necks as though they were stiff after being still for so long, before walking out of the morgue.

As the newly animated bodies exited the Hub, Dominic grabbed his mobile phone, calling Jack. “Dad? Where are you?” There was silence as he listened to his father. “Can you get to the Hub now? I need your help.”

It didn’t take Jack long to get to the Hub; Dominic wondered if he had actually been close by. When the Captain arrived he found himself looking at faces filled with suspicion. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking around at his sons and Felix.

“Where were you at eleven o’clock this morning?” Dominic asked, folding his arms across his chest and studying Jack with an even look.

Jack frowned. “Helping you guys round up the dead bodies,” he replied, a note of disbelief in his voice. “What’s going on here, Nick?” he demanded.

Dominic nodded at Rory and the younger man pressed a button on the keyboard, activating the CCTV footage. Jack turned and watched the video in confusion. He could see himself moving around the Hub and opening up the drawers, but he didn’t remember doing it.

“This can’t be real,” Jack murmured, shaking his head defiantly. “What the Hell is happening?” 

“The morgue is empty, dad,” Dominic answered, meeting his father’s eyes. “All those drawers are open and empty.”

“I didn’t do that,” Jack insisted, pointing at the screen that Rory had frozen as the drawers opened.

“Evidence says otherwise, dad,” Dominic argued. Rory was remaining silent; he had made it very clear that he didn’t want to speak to their father for a long while. “What happened earlier – exactly?”

Jack closed his eyes, trying to think back to earlier, before he began to speak. “I was on my way back to the Hub after leaving Julian at the castle. I was on the Plass before…” He paused and his eyes flew open. “There was someone behind me.”

“Someone?” Felix echoed.

“I… I’ve never seen them before but… they attacked me,” Jack admitted, remembering being assaulted. 

“What happened?” Dominic asked.

“I was killed,” Jack whispered.

“Killed?” Rory asked, speaking for the first time since Jack had arrived at the Hub.

Jack started, looking at Rory in surprise. They hadn’t spoken to each other since Jack had insisted that Rory leave the city when the baby was born. He slowly nodded his head, trying to make eye contact with the young man, but Rory was refusing to meet Jack’s eye.

“So you let yourself get killed when the city is being overrun by aliens who can possess the dead?” Dominic asked, trying to keep the tone of his voice even.

“I didn’t let myself get killed, Dominic,” Jack argued, glaring furiously at his son.

“You were still killed, dad,” Dominic retorted. “And you clearly don’t remember doing that,” he pointed to the screen.

“I don’t!” Jack cried.

“How long were you dead?” Rory asked, still avoiding eye contact with Jack.

“I don’t know,” Jack whispered. 

“So it’s possible that you could have been dead long enough for these – things – to possess you and make you unlock the morgue. If these things can possess the dead, it makes sense that they would want them in the best condition. All Torchwood employees are frozen,” Dominic paused, remembering that Gwen had been buried, but didn’t correct himself. He didn’t want to stir up old memories again for his father.

 

“Whatever these things are, they’re smart. They’ve clearly been watching us for a while and knew that only we would have access to the morgue,” the leader of Torchwood three reasoned. 

“The second you were killed, you became a liability, dad,” he added.

Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “If I was possessed by whatever this is, what happened to get rid of it?”

“Maybe when you came back to life, it was forced out of you,” Felix suggested.

“Right,” Dominic sighed and mirrored Jack, running a hand through his own hair. “We need to know everyone who was in those drawers.” He looked at Rory who heaved a sigh.

“Looks like that’s my job,” he huffed, carefully heaving himself to his feet. He was heavily pregnant now and moving was getting more difficult by the day.

“Call tad,” Dominic advised. “He knows the archives better than any of us. He can help you.”

Rory nodded his head, moving past the group, not looking at Jack and heaving into Dominic’s office to call their tad. 

“Dad,” the leader of Torchwood three continued, turning back to the Time Agent. “I… Don’t take this the wrong way. But if you’re going to be helping us, you need to be extra careful. You can’t let yourself get killed. The instant you die, you become a liability to us. I won’t let you hurt anyone, dad. Even if that means locking you in the cells so that doesn’t happen…”

“If I think I’m going to turn into a danger for any of you, I’ll lock myself in the cells,” Jack swore.

He didn’t like that he was being side-lined, but knowing that Dominic was right: if he could be killed and possessed he was a danger to the residents of Cardiff and his family. And he was not going to let that happen.

TBC


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Ianto had arrived shortly after Rory’s phone call and had been filled in on what had happened but the only impartial person in the Hub – Felix. He had been horrified about what had happened, but didn’t blame Jack for it. He could feel the waves of guilt rolling from the Captain – surely Rory could feel that as well.

The assassin had been given the same lecture Dominic had given Jack. The Captain wasn’t the only member of the family that was immortal and as a result, he was also a threat to the team. If he got killed, there was every chance he could be possessed as well.

After assuring his sons that he would be extra diligent, Ianto had headed down to the archives with Rory and they began trolling through the records, compiling a list of all occupants of the morgue and their drawer numbers.

Ianto looked at Rory as they went through the records. His and Jack’s youngest son was seven months pregnant and Ianto had never felt so proud of him. 

He knew that Jack wanted him to leave the city for the birth, but Rory was adamant that he wasn’t going to leave. He was going to stay in Cardiff and spare himself the pain of feeling like his head was being torn apart – all the while hoping Jack was wrong about the child being connected to the Rift as well.

“You’re staring,” Rory commented, not looking up from the file he was looking at. “Have you never seen a pregnant man before?” he smirked.

Ianto blinked in surprise and smiled sheepishly at Rory. “Sorry,” he apologised, reaching for another folder and making notes of names and drawer numbers.

“How many bodies were there in here?” Rory asked, glancing down at the figures in front of him.

“Well this branch of Torchwood has been here since 1885,” Ianto pointed out. 

They were up to 1910 and already they had pages and pages of names and drawer numbers.

“I didn’t even know there were this many levels down there,” Rory commented, reaching for another file.

Ianto chuckled. “I don’t think anyone knows how big the Hub really is,” he replied. “Not even your dad.”

Rory’s eyes darkened at the mention of his father. “This whole thing is his fault in the first place,” he muttered.

Ianto looked at Rory. “Don’t talk about him like that, Rory,” he said softly. “This isn’t his fault. How was he supposed to know this would happen?”

Rory scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re sticking up for him. You two have split up, you’re more than entitled to bitch about him.”

“We haven’t split up, Rory,” Ianto argued with a shake of his head. “We’ve separated. But my feelings – whatever they may be – toward your father, are nothing to do with what I just said. None of this is your dad’s fault.”

Rory had the decency to look abashed and he looked down at the table in front of him, muttering his apologies under his breath.

Ianto put a hand on Rory's shoulder, squeezing affectionately. “Let’s just find out who was in here,” he suggested. “Once we know who we’re looking for, we can go from there.”

Rory nodded his head, smiling back at his tad and reaching for another file. 

It took them three hours to get to the twenty-first century. Ianto reached for another file and his eyes widened when he read the details on the paper. 

“Shit,” he swore, snapping the file closed instantly.

Rory looked up in surprise. “What?” he asked in concern, thinking something was wrong with his tad.

“I…” Ianto gathered the file. “You keep going through those,” he nodded to the files and turned towards the door. “I need to go upstairs.”

Before Rory could question him further, Ianto turned on his heel and practically fled the archives.

TBC


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Jack was sitting at Rory’s desk, staring at the image on his son’s screen. He had watched the whole thing several times and each time had trouble believing what he was seeing. The thought that he had caused problems for his children cut him to the bone.

He looked up when the door burst open and his eyes widened when he saw Ianto running toward him, holding a paper file in his hand.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the Hub increased tenfold and the tension was almost thick enough to cut with a knife.

Not looking at Ianto, Jack remained silent, expecting his partner to head to Dominic’s office where the rest of the team were. To the elder Time Agent’s surprise, Ianto stopped directly in front of him.

He looked up, frowning at Ianto, as the younger man thrust the file he was holding into his hands. “You need to look at his,” Ianto told him, folding his arms across his chest.

The assassin watched as Jack opened the file and skim read the text. “Fuck,” he swore, staring down in disbelief. 

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It had been over thirty years since Tosh had been killed and over thirty years since Jack had frozen his younger brother in a drawer.

“Are you sure he isn’t there?” Jack demanded. 

Ianto shook his head. “Dominic and Felix have checked. All the drawers in the morgue are empty. He’s gone. Somewhere out there,” he nodded to the cog door, “Gray is loose.”

Jack span his chair around and began thumping away at the keyboard, quickly bringing up the heat signatures of the Hub.

Ianto watched as the screen displayed their own signatures close to each other in the centre of the Hub, the rest of the team in Dominic’s office and Rory still down in the archives.

“There’s no-one here who shouldn’t be,” Jack announced, flopping back into his seat and looking up at Ianto.

“What should we do?” Ianto asked softly, looking down at his partner. 

TBC


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Rory glared at Ianto as he ushered him into the conference room. When he saw that Jack was sat at the table, his scowl deepened. “I haven’t got time for this,” he muttered, turning on his heel and trying to leave the room.

Ianto shook his head, placing his hands on Rory’s shoulders and turning his son around, urging him back into the room and pushing him into a chair at the opposite end of the table to Jack. “Just listen,” he ordered.

Rory glared across the table at his father, not speaking to any of them as Felix and Dominic entered the room, both of them looking as confused as Rory was.

“What’s going on?” Dominic demanded. He didn’t like being ordered around, especially when he was the one in charge of Torchwood.

Jack looked at Ianto, who nodded in encouragement. “I want Cali and Kat to stay in the Hub at all times,” he eventually said, not beating around the bush or mincing his words.

“Typical,” Rory muttered, staring down at the table in front of him. “Trying to control everything as usual.”

Ianto glared at Rory. “It’s not safe for them to be out there at the moment, Rory. Especially when we don’t know how to stop what is happening.”

Jack and Ianto shared a knowing look – even though they weren’t on the best of terms, they had decided not to tell their children the real reason why Cali and Kat needed to be in the Hub. 

They had no idea what Gray was going to do; neither of them stupid enough to think that he wouldn’t want revenge on Jack for freezing him.

“I don’t want to argue with any of you on this,” Jack said softly. “You might not believe me, but all I want is for you all to be safe. And if that means I have to bring Cali and Kat here myself, I will.”

Dominic, who had been silent throughout the whole conversation, spoke up quietly. “Kat has classes.”

Ianto nodded, “I’ll go to college with her, make sure she’s safe.”

“It’s a good job you don’t look like her grandfather,” Dominic grinned, although it didn’t meet his eyes.

The assassin placed a hand on his eldest son’s shoulder. “I know it’s not the most ideal solution, but we don’t have any other option. For the moment, the Hub is the safest place for them.”

Rory sighed and got to his feet. “When do they have to come?” he asked, smoothing down his clothes as best as he could.

Jack glanced over at him, sighing when he wouldn’t meet his father’s eyes. “As soon as possible.”

“Where are they going to stay?”

Ianto’s eyes met Jack’s and he nodded. “The rooms we lived in when you were a kid,” the younger Time Agent replied. “They’ll need cleaning a little, but nothing too major. They’ll do for now.”

Jack stood up. “I’ll clean them while you get Cali and Kat,” he volunteered, already mentally running through a list of things he would need to do to make the rooms suitable for use once more.

“Kat’s got college until three,” Dominic added. “I’ll stay here and help you,” he glanced over at Jack. “I’ll text her and get her to meet you guys at your house,” he added, glancing over at Rory.

Felix moved over his partner, placing a hand on his back. “We’ll go get Cali and bring her here.”

Ianto and Jack watched silently as their children left the conference room. 

Jack waited until the door was closed before looking up at Ianto with wide blue eyes. “Tell me I’m doing the right thing, Ianto,” Jack begged. 

The assassin remained silent, pushing his chair back and getting to his feet. He didn’t speak until he was at the door, when he paused in his steps, his hand resting on the clear glass. 

He lowered his head for a moment, fighting his instincts; there was nothing he wanted more than to turn around and assure Jack he was doing nothing more than what was right for his family. But his pride wouldn’t let him.

Instead he settled for whispering, “You’re doing the right thing,” before following the others into the Hub. 

TBC


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Ianto left with Felix and Rory to get Cali. Both immortal Time Agents wanted their grandchildren in the Hub where they were safe. They hadn’t told anyone why they wanted them away from the outside world, and both Rory and Dominic had tried to argue. But neither Jack nor Ianto were in a mood to argue with their children. 

Ianto had tried to make Rory stay in the Hub where it was safe, but he had argued that if he were wearing the key around his neck, no one would notice him anyway. The assassin had no choice but to agree.

Jack stayed in the Hub, cleaning the rooms out for their family to live in once more. It had been so long since they had been used – they had moved out of the Hub when Rory had been ten – and the immortal Captain knew it would take him hours to get everything ready.

As he worked, his mind drifted to Gray and what his younger brother could possibly be planning. Ianto had once joked that they both had evil brothers and after what Caleb had done to Jack, he had to agree. 

The thing that scared Jack the most wasn’t that Gray was out there with everything that was going on. What put the fear of God in him the most was that Gray wasn’t possessed by whatever creatures were taking over Cardiff.

He hadn’t been dead, merely frozen; Gray was loose to create as much havoc as he wanted, and had a mind of his own.

The Rift alarm began to go off, cutting off Jack’s worried thoughts at is signalled alien activity on the Plass. 

Dominic sighed in annoyance; more aliens to deal with were not what they needed at that moment. He tapped away at the keyboard, bringing up the CCTV footage for the Plass. 

His blue eyes widened when he saw a blue box standing next to the lift in front of the Water Tower. “Dad!” he cried, knowing what the box was from his dad’s tales of the Doctor. “Come here!”

Jack ran across the Hub, coming to a stop next to his son. “What? What’s wrong?” he asked urgently.

“Look,” Dominic nodded to the screen.

Jack followed Dominic’s line of sight and he scowled, swearing under his breath. “What is he doing here?” he whispered, more to himself than Dominic. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see the Doctor, but him being there was definitely an inconvenience when Felix was there and the younger Time Lord wanted nothing to do with his grandfather.

“Helping us with whatever’s happening?” Dominic suggested.

Jack shook his head. “He couldn’t even know about this. None of us have been in touch with him – not even Martha.” He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. “He can’t be here.”

Jack shrugged on his greatcoat before heading over the lift – it was cold outside and he didn’t want to freeze to death. He wasn’t about to get killed again after what had happened last time.

“I need to get rid of him before Ianto gets back. He can’t see Felix.”

Dominic pulled a chair closer and sat down. “I’ll keep my eye on Felix’s GPS signal. If he comes back, I’ll let you know.”

Jack smiled affectionately and used his wristband to activate the lift. He had a Doctor to deal with and get rid of as soon as possible.

TBC


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The Doctor smiled to himself and set the TARDIS’ controls. It would take her a good twenty-four hours to recharge and then they could be on their way once more. The Time Lord had decided that since he was in Cardiff anyway he would check in with Jack and Ianto and see how their children were.

He stepped out onto the Plass, looking around at his surroundings. It hadn’t been too long since his last visit and things didn’t appear to have changed. But there was something in the air. Something was different, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

The Doctor looked up when he heard someone call him from the other side of the TARDIS. 

He turned around and grinned when he spotted Jack stepping around the blue police box. “Jack!” he cried, grinning happily when he spotted his old friend. 

Despite everything the Doctor had said to him in the past, the former Time Agent was a good man and an even better friend.

“Doctor,” Jack greeted, hugging the doctor in greeting before looking around him almost nervously.

“How’s baby Rory doing?” he asked. “Everything okay?”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Baby?” he repeated. “He’s thirty three now, Doctor,” he pointed out.

“Thirty three?” the Doctor repeated, running a hand through his hair. “Boy, I’m getting worse at this,” he muttered to himself. “He was a healthy baby then?” Jack nodded his head. “Good, good,” the Doctor murmured.

“What are you doing here, Doctor?” Jack asked urgently. Time was running out, Felix would be back soon and he had to get rid of the Doctor before then. “We don’t need your help.”

“My help?” the Doctor echoed. “You don’t need my help with what?”

Jack paused, looking at the Time Lord in confusion. “You’re not here because of the what’s happening?” he asked.

“What is happening?”

Jack’s head was starting to hurt. He was beginning to feel like he was in some kind of strange comedy film. “If you’re not here because of all this, why are you here, Doctor?”

“Refuelling,” the Doctor explained, pointing towards the TARDIS. “She was running low so I thought I’d pop by and say hi.” He grinned brightly and waved, “Hi.”

“Oh.”

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on and what you don’t need my help with?” the Doctor pressed, as usual not letting go of something once he was told about it.

Jack hesitated. On one hand he knew the Doctor might be able to provide insight into the strange events that had been happening all around Cardiff and maybe even be able to help. But on the other hand he didn’t want the Doctor around any longer than he had to be. 

He knew Ianto still had problems with him – that was evident after their fight - but Jack was more concerned with Felix’s feelings toward his grandfather. For all Felix’s bravado about his heritage, Jack knew that Felix hated the Doctor and never wanted to see him.

Before Jack could reply, Dominic’s voice cackled over his Bluetooth earpiece. “Dad, Felix is almost at the Plass with Kat.”

TBC


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Felix froze when he and Kat reached the Plass. From where they were standing, they could see a blue police box standing in front of the Water Tower, just next to the invisible lift. 

Kat frowned in confusion. “What’s that?” she asked her uncle, pointing across the Plass to the police box.

The sound of her voice seemed to snap him out of his gaze and he blinked, shaking his head. “Nothing,” he muttered, taking her hand in his and trying to pull her away from the Plass. “Let’s go back to get help Rory and Ianto with Cali.”

Jack was standing next to the Doctor when the Time Lord looked up, sensing someone else’s presence in the surrounding area. “What the…?” the Doctor whispered, looking around him. “Who’s that?” he demanded, pointing across to Felix.

The Time Agent knew that the Doctor could sense Felix’s Time Lord DNA. He had said he could sense other people of the same species before it was revealed that Harold Saxon was actually the Master.

“No-one,” Jack muttered, taking hold of the Doctor’s hand and trying to steer him in the direction of the TARDIS in the hopes that he could lock him in there until she was ready to leave.

The Doctor wrenched his arm away from Jack and turned back to face Felix. “Who is that?” he repeated, pointing to Felix. “He’s a Time Lord.”

Jack looked at Felix helplessly, not knowing what to do. Now that he had been spotted, diverting the Doctor’s attention away from Felix would be almost impossible. 

The Time Agent looked at the Doctor and immediately knew what must be running through the older man’s mind. The last time he had met another Time Lord he hadn’t known about, the Master had killed millions and almost destroyed the Earth. The Doctor was bound to worry about the same thing happening again now there was another Time Lord.

“He can’t exist. He shouldn’t exist. They died. They all died.”

Jack threw the Doctor an incredulous look. “The Master existed; he survived. You didn’t know about him.”

By that point, Felix had sent Kat around to the tourist office, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to get away from the Doctor now he had been spotted, and had slowly been making his way towards his father-in-law and the Doctor. 

He hadn’t wanted the older Time Lord to know about him – ever – but now that he did, Felix wasn’t going to back away without facing him.

“Who are you?” the Doctor demanded, moving closer to Felix.

Jack started, keeping his eye on both Time Lords, ready to intervene if needed. He didn’t think the Doctor would do anything to Felix, but Jack wasn’t about to give him the opportunity. Rory would hate him even more than he already did. 

“Why didn’t I know about you?” the Doctor demanded when Felix remained silent.

Felix stood upright, looking taller than his 5 foot 9 inches and met the Doctor’s confused eyes with his own angry glare.

“I didn’t want you to,” he snapped.

“Why?” the Doctor questioned, feeling confusion swirling around his mind. 

He had always thought he would be ecstatic if there was another Time Lord in existence; the Master had been one prime example of how wrong he had been about that assumption. Felix was just another dose of salt in an old, open wound.

Felix glared at the older Time Lord. “Do you really want to know why I didn’t want you to find out about me?” he snapped, stalking over to the Doctor. 

The Doctor nodded his head firmly; he wanted to know what was going on. “Fine!” Felix cried. “See for yourself.”

He grabbed the Doctor’s hands and pressed them against his own head, plunging them both into Felix’s memories.

TBC


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a flashback.

Chapter 50

_The Doctor watched helplessly as black and grey lights swirled around him. The colours of Felix’s mind were enough to prove how annoyed the younger Time Lord was. Not that the Doctor needed proof; even he wasn’t that blind._

_He watched as the colours twisted around each other, changing colours and morphing into shapes._

_Eventually the shapes began to represent people and the Doctor watched a small boy – no older than seven or eight – sitting at the top of a flight of stairs, clutching the banister as tears coursed down his face._

_In the background he could hear shouting and screaming, before the sound of something hitting a wall and shattering. At the bang, the young Felix whimpered and jumped to his feet, running into his bedroom and closing the door silently, hoping it would drown out the screaming._

_The picture before him unfocused and the colours began to move again, reshaping into new images. Images of the same boy, no older than fifteen, began to appear before the Doctor’s eyes. Felix was in his bedroom with a suitcase open on the bed._

_Tears were streaming down his face as he moved around the room, pulling various drawers open, leaving them hanging from the dresser in his haste to pack. Everything in the room was askew as the young Time Lord began shoving things in the case._

_Quickly the Doctor found himself at the shuttle station, watching as Felix stole onto a shuttle bound for Earth and settled down for the long trip behind some extra towels in a linen closet._

_The image changed again and he saw Felix flicking through book after book in what appeared to be a section of Torchwood’s archives. “Felix?” a soft voice asked in surprise, making both Time Lords jump. “What are you doing down here?”_

_Felix turned around and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw whom the newcomer was. “Rory,” he breathed. “Nothing, I…”_

_Rory raised an eyebrow and stepped closer, lifting the book up and looking at the title. “ ‘Alien Myths’?” he read aloud. “You’re doing research?” he asked incredulously. “At one in the morning? You’re not even on the night shift.”_

_Felix sighed and closed his eyes. “I… Do you know anything about Time Lords?” he eventually whispered, hoping Rory wouldn’t press him too much about why he wanted to know._

_“Time Lords?” Rory repeated. “Not much,” he admitted. “Just what I’ve picked up from talking to my dad.”_

_“Your dad knows about them?” Felix asked hopefully._

_Rory nodded. “I don’t know how much, but he used to travel with one, so he should know a little bit.”_

_“Where is he?”_

_The other man pointed over his shoulder. “In his office for some reason. Apparently no one in my family sleeps at normal hours.”_

_Felix was out of the door, almost before the words had left Rory’s mouth._

TBC


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The two Time Lords were roughly thrown back into the present, both landing on the ground with a painful crash. 

As soon as they fell back Jack was at Felix’s side, helping him to his feet. “Are you okay?” he asked, knowing about Felix’s attitude to the elder Time Lord.

Felix nodded his head, wrenching his arm out of Jack’s grasp. “I’m fine,” he lied. He didn’t look at the Doctor as he turned away from Jack, “I’m going home,” he muttered, practically running away from the pair of them.

Jack turned to the Doctor and fixed him with a glare. “What did you think you were doing?” he demanded.

“Me?” the Doctor screeched loudly.

“Yes, you!” Jack shouted. 

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. “I… He’s a Time Lord, Jack. How long have you known about him?”

Jack folded his arms across his chest definitely. “Over thirty years.”

“Thirty years?” the Doctor repeated. “You knew about him the last time I was here, when Rory was born?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded. “If I had known, I would…”

Jack held up his hand, cutting off the Doctor’s tirade. “Don’t ask me. It’s not my story to tell. If Felix wants you to know, it’s up to him to tell you. Not me.”

~

Rory and Ianto looked up in surprise when the door burst open. The assassin’s hand immediately went to his holster, ready to withdraw his weapon. 

Both men expelled sighs of relief when they realised the intruder was Felix.

Rory gasped in horror at the tears rolling down his partner’s cheeks. “What’s wrong?” he asked, rushing forward as best as he could and cupping Felix’s cheek.

Felix shook his head, gasping in amounts of air. Hiccupping at the sudden rush of oxygen heading to his lungs.

Rory looked over his shoulder at Ianto pleadingly. The assassin nodded his head, understanding Rory’s silent question, before slipping into the living room unnoticed, leaving the couple alone.

“Fe,” Rory said, running his thumb over his partner’s cheek, drying the tears. “What’s wrong?” he repeated.

“The Doctor,” Felix whispered, closing his eyes. “The bastard found me.”

Rory drew in a sharp gasp at Felix’s admission. Everyone in their family knew how much Felix didn’t like any mention of the Doctor, and they generally tried to avoid saying his name if it was possible.

“What did he say?” Rory asked, drawing his lover closer and hugging him as best as he could. It was times like then that he really hated being pregnant. When he couldn’t get as close to Felix or Cali as he wanted. He didn’t like having to distance himself slightly for the baby’s safety.

“He insisted I couldn’t exist, that I should be dead,” Felix murmured.

Rory ran his hand through Felix’s dark hair, pressing his lips to the younger man’s forehead. “What about your mum?” he asked softly.

Felix shook his head, burying his face in Rory’s shoulder and breathing in his scent. Normally the other man’s unique fifty-first century pheromones could arouse him instantly, but now they soothed him no end. 

“He left her.” Felix whispered, running his hand over Rory’s swollen stomach. “He wanted to know why I didn’t want him to find out about me, so I took him into my memories.”

Rory frowned in confusion. “How did you know you could do that?” he asked. He didn’t think Felix knew enough about his Time Lord abilities to do something that advanced.

“I didn’t,” Felix admitted, chuckling to himself lightly. “I just… knew I could do it. He saw when I was a kid, when I ran away and when I found out about Time Lords.”

“So he knows about me?” Rory asked.

Felix nodded his head. “Sorry,” he apologised. “I couldn’t stop him. He’d already gone too far into my memories.”

Rory silenced him with a soft kiss. “Don’t be stupid,” he whispered, looking into Felix’s brown eyes. “I don’t care if he knows about me. But what about Cali?”

Felix shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t show him,” he responded. “But he’s not totally stupid. He’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Not to mention, one look at me and he’s going to know there’s going to be another Time Lord soon,” Rory smirked, kissing Felix again.

The living room door burst open and Cali came running up to her parents. “Daddy!” she cried, practically climbing up Felix’s body. “You came back!”

Ianto stood in the doorway, looking at his son apologetically. “Sorry,” he said. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Felix shook his head, offering Ianto a reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” he assured him. He pressed a kiss against Cali’s forehead, running a hand through her long hair. “Are you ready to go, sweetie?” he asked, ducking his head and looking into her eyes.

She nodded empathically, grinning from ear to ear. “Can we go see Myfanwy now?” she asked, looking over at Ianto with wide pleading eyes.

Ianto laughed and nodded his head. “If it’s okay with papa and daddy,” he agreed.

She turned back to her parents, her eyes wide and grinned when they nodded. “Yay!” she cried, hugging Felix tightly.

TBC


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Dominic was standing nearby in his office, watching as Jack conversed with the Doctor, catching up on the past thirty years.

“Dad?” Kat asked, stepping up to her father and following his gaze. “Who’s that?” she added, nodding over at the Doctor.

“Uncle Felix’s granddad,” Dominic replied, never taking his eyes off of the Time Lord.

He didn’t act like Dominic had expected. Jack had told both him and Rory stories of a man who travelled through time and spoke a mile a minute and smiled the biggest smile Jack had ever seen. The man in front of him was not that man. Dominic didn’t know if the Doctor’s apparent change in attitude was due to his and Felix’s confrontation, or if there were other contributing factors.

The cog door rolled back and they all looked up to see Rory, Felix and Ianto entering the Hub, Cali cradled in Felix’s arms. “Granddaddy!” Cali cried, jumping down from Felix’s arms and running over to Jack. 

“Hello, princess,” Jack greeted, grinning as he picked her up and placed her on his knee. 

“Can I go play with Myfanwy?” she asked, looking up at him with big eyes. 

Jack chuckled and kissed her forehead. “If it’s okay with Uncle Nicky,” he agreed.

Cali looked over at Dominic who sighed and nodded his head eventually; he knew that the pterodactyl wouldn’t hurt his niece. Myfanwy seemed to think of all of them – the children that had been brought up in Torchwood – as her own children and could be very protective of them.

Ianto whistled and almost instantly the dinosaur swooped down, landing in the centre of the Hub, looking around expectantly for whatever had disturbed her. She let out a squawk of approval when she spotted Cali running across the Hub towards her.

“Stay where we can see you, Cali,” Dominic instructed her.

She nodded her head in agreement and continued playing with the dinosaur.

“Doctor,” Ianto greeted, nodding at the oldest Time Lord.

“Ianto,” he replied with an inclination of his own head. “You must be Rory,” he added, looking at the very pregnant man. Rory nodded and ran his hand protectively over his stomach.

The Doctor looked over at the younger Time Lord. “Felix,” he said softly. Felix nodded his head stiffly in greeting. 

“I’ll make everyone drinks,” Ianto muttered, turning on his heel and heading up the stairs to the small kitchen.

Jack’s blue eyes followed him before he jumped to his feet and excused himself, running after Ianto. “I tried to warn you,” he stated, stopping in the kitchen’s doorway and looking at the younger Time Agent.

Ianto was silently going through the motions of making drinks for everyone. 

“You didn’t answer your phone,” Jack added with a sigh.

The other man turned around and stared at Jack. “I’m surprised you’re still here. That’s what you do when the Doctor appears, isn’t it? Just disappear without thinking about your family.”

Jack drew in a sharp breath at Ianto’s words. “How can you say that?” he asked, sadness lacing his words before anger took over. “Everything I have done, I’ve done to protect this family.”

Ianto lowered his head and closed his eyes. “I know,” he whispered, his voice almost too quiet for Jack to hear. “I’m sorry,” he added, turning around to face Jack. “That wasn’t fair.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Jack stated, his feet automatically taking him closer to Ianto.

Silence fell over them; it seemed to go on forever, but in reality only lasted a couple of seconds. “He doesn’t look any different,” Ianto murmured.

“Yeah,” Jack breathed, looking in Ianto’s eyes. Even though they hadn’t had a proper conversation for months, there was still something that was drawing them closer, as though they were magnetised somehow. “He thought Rory was still a baby, so it hasn’t been that long for him.”

They were so close that Ianto could feel Jack’s hot breath on his lips and for a moment he thought the older Time Agent was going to kiss him – he knew he’d never be able to push Jack away if he did.

A pained scream tore through the air before either of them could react to what they were feeling and whatever spell had settled over them broke instantly. They jumped apart, ran out of the kitchen and almost flew down the stairs.

Kat was sitting crossed legged on the floor, with Cali sitting on her legs. The younger of the cousins had tears streaming down her cheeks and was cradling her hand to her chest.

“What the Hell happened?” Jack shouted angrily. He hated seeing any member of his family in pain. 

“I told you letting her play with that damn dinosaur was a mistake!” he cried, glaring at Dominic. In the back of his mind Jack wondered why Felix and Rory hadn’t reacted to Cali’s scream, but he was too concerned with her wellbeing to worry about that.

“She just fell over, Granddad,” Kat informed the immortal Captain calmly. “There you go,” she whispered, grinning down at Cali and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. “All better.”

Instantly the tears in Cali’s eyes dried up and she grinned widely. “Thank you, Katty,” she cried, kissing her cousin on the cheek before getting up and returning to playing with Myfanwy.

“Myfanwy wouldn’t hurt her, dad,” Dominic rolled his eyes. “We used to play with her when we were kids and she never hurt us,” he nodded over to Rory.

“Kat got to her before any of us managed, that’s all,” Felix added, smiling thankfully at his niece.

Jack had the decency to look abashed as he mumbled his apology to everyone.

It was the Doctor who turned to conversation back to his original question. “Is anyone going to explain to me how there are not only one, but two – almost three – Time Lords living in Cardiff?”

Felix took a deep breath. “Cali is my daughter,” he explained quietly, his voice barely audible over the sound of Myfanwy and his daughter. 

“Who are your parents?” the Doctor questioned.

“My father was human. But my mum was a Time Lord – Jenny.”

“Jenny?” the Doctor whispered, his brown eyes widening in shock. “But that… She died,” he hissed.

Felix shook his head. “She regenerated and came back to life to find out you’d left her. She left that planet and met my dad,” he explained, trying not to let his feelings about his father come to the surface. He hated the man – he was the reason Felix had run away from home in the first place.

“I came here when I was fifteen and met Rory when I was eighteen.”

“How old are you?”

“Almost twenty nine,” Felix explained.

The Doctor looked over at Jack. “What did you mean when you said you’d known about him for over thirty years?” he asked. “He isn’t even thirty!”

“We fell through the Rift last year,” Rory spoke. “Well…” he looked down at his stomach and smirked, “about nine months ago.”

“They ended up in 2008,” Jack added. “That was how I knew about him before he’d been born.”

The Doctor looked at Felix. “Why didn’t you want me to know you existed?” he asked carefully, having a feeling that he was treading on thin ground with Felix.

“I… You abandoned mum,” Felix whispered. “Even if it wasn’t intentional. I wasn’t going to let you do the same to me and Cali.”

“I would never do that to you intentionally,” the Doctor argued.

Felix shrugged his shoulders, not commenting. 

The Doctor sighed and decided to change the subject. “Jack?” The Captain looked up in surprise. “When I arrived you said something about something strange happening in Cardiff.”

Jack nodded slowly. “The dead are walking, Doctor. They’re being possessed. I… None of us know what to do.”

“The dead are being possessed?” the Time Lord repeated, running a hand through his hair. “When did this start?”

Dominic began typing away at a nearby computer. “The first reported sightings were about four or five months ago – after you felt that Rift spike,” he glanced at Rory who looked back at him with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. “The computer’s didn’t find anything though.”

“Was there in problems with the gas at that time?” the Doctor asked, his voice taking on a level of urgency.

A few keystrokes later and Dominic confirmed that a gas pipe in the cemetery had ruptured around that time. 

“Jack…” the Doctor said slowly. “I think you’ve got an infestation. It’s the Gelth.”

TBC


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

“The Gelth?” Jack repeated in confusion. “But…”

“They don’t exist,” Ianto stated confidently, looking over at the Doctor with an annoyed expression; he couldn’t believe the Time Lord would waste their time with fictional figures. “They’re a myth. Nothing more than a story parents created to make children behave.”

“Oh, they do exist, Ianto,” the Doctor argued. “I’ve seen them. Here in this very city.”

“In Cardiff?” Rory exclaimed. “Then why is there no mention of them in the archives? They list everything to do with Cardiff and the Rift.”

“How long has Torchwood been here?”

“Since 1885,” Rory replied confidently without a second thought.

The Doctor offered him a smile; the young man in front of him was very clearly Ianto Jones’ son. “The last time the Gelth were here was 1869. Long before Torchwood Cardiff was created. The Gelth started slipping through the Rift and managed to convince us that it was a good idea to open it, letting them through to use the dead as vessels to house their forms.”

“Why would you agree to something like that, Doctor?” Jack demanded, looking at the other man with wide eyes.

“Because I felt guilty. They were caught in the time war. Their numbers were depleted. It was my fault they were almost extinct. I was trying to redeem myself in their eyes.”

“It was only after the Rift was opened that we realised how much of a mistake we’d made letting them through and the Rift was closed.”

“Who’s we?” Rory asked.

“Myself and Rose Tyler,” the Doctor explained.

Jack smiled fondly at the memory of Rose. When they had been travelling with the Doctor they had experienced such great things together and had grown really close. As a result, Jack still felt that pang of affection when he heard her name.

“We met a young maid called Gwyneth,” the Doctor continued. “She was an ancestor of your Ms Cooper,” he added, looking over at Jack for the expected reaction.

To the Doctors surprise, Rory was the one who gasped in shock. “Gwen?” he repeated.

The Doctor nodded. “It was only when I saw her on the TARDIS screen that I realised she must have had family living somewhere – even if she didn’t know about them. There’s no way her blood line could have continued otherwise.”

“So closing the Rift got rid of the Gelth?” Jack asked, getting back on track. The Doctor nodded his head. “That’s great, except there’s one problem.”

Jack pointed to the computer screens. “The Rift isn’t even open.”

TBC


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

The team collectively sighed and slumped back in defeat. “There goes that idea,” Felix commented, running a hand over his face.

“It must be open a little bit,” Rory reasoned. “How else could they have got through in the first place? We could open further?” he suggested, looking between his father and grandfather-in-law.

Ianto shook his head. “No way,” he argued. “That’s too dangerous. The last time the Rift was opened fully, the whole of the world nearly got sucked into it.”

“Besides,” the Doctor added, “Gwyneth closed the Rift with an explosion. The Gelth were made out of gas. There were only a few of them. How many of them are there now?”

“The whole city is being overrun,” Jack explained. “They possessed me and made me open the morgues. Every single Torchwood employee is out there and possessed by these things.”

“They’ve gotten stronger,” the Doctor stated. “Last time the dead couldn’t sustain them for long. They’ve definitely grown stronger in the time that’s passed since then.”

“There’s too many of them now. To get rid of them all with an explosion would mean wiping out the whole city,” Felix commented. “It’s too dangerous.”

“What about an explosion into the Rift?” Rory asked softly.

As one they all turned to look at the father-to-be. “What do you mean?”

“Think about it,” Rory said. “I can control the Rift. You said it yourself, that necklace was only there because I needed something to focus on,” he reminded Jack. “I don’t need that now. I know I can control it.” 

“If we open the Rift wide enough, I can create an explosion into it. That should draw all the Gelth things out of their host bodies and send them back to wherever the hell it is they came from.”

Jack and Ianto both shook their heads firmly. “That’s too dangerous Rory,” Ianto said. “You’re pregnant. You don’t know what the strain of doing something that big would have on the baby.”

They looked at the Doctor for help, both of them silently pleading with the Time Lord; begging him to convince Rory that the idea was bad and wouldn’t work anyway.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” the Doctor whispered. “It’s a good idea and it might work.”

“No!” Jack cried, jumping to his feet and running over to Rory. “I don’t care how much you hate me afterwards. You are not risking that baby’s life, Rory.”

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Felix asked softly from where he was sitting next to his partner. “It’s my son as well,” he reminded people.

Rory sighed sadly and took Felix’s hand in his own. “I know it’s dangerous,” he whispered, running his thumb over the back of his hand. “But there’s no other way. People are dying and if I can do something to stop that, I will. Please don’t make me go against you, Fe,” he begged.

TBC


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Ianto had disappeared about half an hour ago, with no warning where he was going or telling anyone what he was doing.

“How are we going to open the Rift?” Dominic asked, leaning forward in his chair. “The Rift Manipulator program only opens it wide enough for someone to slip through.”

Rory opened his mouth but Dominic cut him off. “And I don’t care how much you bitch at me, you are not going through that Rift when you’re pregnant, Rory,” he instructed firmly, the tone of his voice leaving no room for discussion.

Jack drummed his fingers against the hard wood of the coffee table. When Kat glared at him for being annoying he smiled guiltily and stilled his fingers. His stomach sank when he realised he had been drumming out the Master’s secret code. Even though it had been so long ago, memories of then still seeped into his consciousness occasionally.

“Torchwood opened the Rift fully before,” Jack said softly, running the palm of his hand across the wood. 

“How?” Dominic pressed.

“Me and Ianto were stuck in 1941,” Jack began. “The rest of the team used the manipulator to open the Rift wide enough for us to slip back through.”

“We then activated one of the emergency protocols to fully open the Rift,” Ianto said simply from behind them, making them all jump.

“Since when are there emergency protocols for opening the Rift?” Dominic demanded, glaring at his parents.

“I disabled them after…” Jack hesitated.

“After me and the rest of the team killed and betrayed him,” Ianto finished for him.

The other members of the team stared at the immortal assassin in disbelief. They found it hard to believe that Ianto would actually do something like that to Jack.

“That was a long time ago,” Ianto added softly. “Before either of you were born,” he looked at his sons. “The point is; without those protocols there’s no way to fully open the Rift. If we didn’t have these…”

In his hand Ianto held a brown paper file and he rested it on the table, fanning the papers out in front of him. “While we were in 1941, Tosh rewrote the program to get us back.”

“Well, we can use that,” Dominic stated. 

Jack shook his head, pushing one piece of paper over his oldest son. “Tosh’s code was aimed at me and Ianto specifically. So unless any of you are exceptionally brilliant with computers, it’s not going to work.”

Dominic sighed and slumped down in his chair. Jack was right; none of them were brilliant with computers. All of the team could fix them if they broke down and Kat could write programs, but she was nowhere near the level that Tosh had been.

The Doctor, who had been unusually silent throughout the whole meeting, slowly leant forward in his chair. “Perhaps I could be of assistance?” he suggested, waving his sonic screwdriver in front of him and grinning from ear to ear.

TBC


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

“Right,” Jack said, rubbing his hands together as he mentally ran down a list of what they needed to do. “If we’re going to open the Rift, we need to get out of the Hub.”

Ianto nodded in agreement. “If that opens and we’re all still in here, we’ll be killed. When the Rift is opened, the first place that feels the strain is here.”

Dominic looked around the team and his parents. “What about Kat and Cali?” he asked, looking at his own daughter and worrying for her safety. Jack had made them bring their children to the Hub to keep them safe, and now he was telling them they needed to get out.

“They can go in the TARDIS,” the Doctor murmured, drumming the sonic screwdriver against the back of his head as he read from the papers Ianto had provided him with. “She has shielding, it’ll keep them safe. Besides, she’ll love them; someone new for her to show off to.”

Jack bit his lip in thought. “Doctor?” The older Time Lord looked up curiously. “How wide is the TARDIS’ shield?”

The Doctor frowned as he tried to calculate the distance. “Do you remember when we were on that Dalek ship with Rose the first time?” Jack nodded his head; he remembered the events of that day in vivid detail. “That’s about as far as the defences go.”

“So it’ll be possible for Rory to close the Rift from inside that shield?” Jack pressed.

“Theoretically speaking, sure,” the Doctor nodded his head. “But it’s never been tested before.”

Jack shook his head. “I don’t care,” he stated firmly. “It Rory stays in the Hub to close the Rift, he’ll likely be killed by the damage to the building anyway. I’m not putting him in more danger than we have to.”

Rory nodded in agreement but he didn’t verbally say that he agreed with Jack – he still wasn’t speaking to his father unless he had to. “If we get everyone within the TARDIS’ force field they’ll be safe,” he reasoned, looking to Ianto and Dominic for agreement, before turning his gaze to Felix and the rest of the team – everyone except Jack.

“How are we going to activate the program though?” Kat asked quietly from where she was sitting between Dominic and Rory.

“Oh, that’s me!” the Doctor exclaimed happily, entering the conversation once more. “I can set up a timer to activate the program. We can be up with the TARDIS ready when the Rift opens.”

He jumped to his feet, stuffing the piece of paper in his pocket and twirling the screwdriver between his fingers. “Would you do me the honour of assisting me, Miss Harkness-Jones?” he asked, holding his hand out to Kat.

Kat beamed, happy to be included in Torchwood’s business - despite her father’s protests. She nodded her head and slid her hand into the Doctor’s, allowing the Time Lord to drag her from the room.

“We need to secure as much of the electronic equipment as we can,” Dominic stated, pushing his chair back and getting to his feet. 

“I’ll let Myfanwy out to fly around,” Ianto added with a nod of his head. “That way she won’t get hurt.” He glanced at his watch, “It’s dark enough now so people shouldn’t notice her. The Weevils should be okay in the cells.”

“What about all the data we have and the archives?” Felix asked.

“They’ll be fine,” both Ianto and Rory replied at the same time.

“The archives are far enough down that they should be safe,” Ianto added.

“And the data is backed up in Glasgow, anyway,” Rory shrugged nonchalantly.

“It is?” Jack exclaimed, his voice raising in pitch and making everyone wince.

Rory smirked to himself and ran his fingers over the grain of the table.

Dominic laughed at the look on his father’s face and got to his feet. “We’d better get the Hub sorted,” he stated.

The rest of the team murmured their agreements and slowly filtered out of the boardroom. Rory placed a hand on Felix’s arm, whispering to his partner that he was going to stay there for the moment.

Felix glanced over at him in concern, but Rory brushed the worry about with a kiss and a smile, whispering that he would be out in a few moments.

As the door closed behind him Rory leant back in his chair, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead.

All his life, he had been able to sense the Rift in the back of his mind; of course, when he got too far away from the Hub, the pain became increasingly unbearable and even when he was in Torchwood, he could feel it.

He had no idea what it would feel like when the Rift was opened fully. He doubted it would feel good, if anything the pain would probably tear his mind in two.

The baby kicked painfully and Rory smiled sadly. As he ran his hand over his large bump, he felt tears spill from his eyes. 

He wasn’t stupid; he knew how dangerous it was for him to manipulate the Rift when he was so heavily pregnant. But to ignore what was happening around them was far too selfish an action for Rory to even contemplate. 

If something happened to the baby he would be devastated, and he knew Felix would be too. But the last thing Rory wanted was for other people to lose their lives because of his selfish actions.

Despite the pain it would cause him, he had to at least try help.

TBC


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Cali glared at her granddaddy as Jack roused her from where she was sleeping on the couch in Dominic’s office.

“Granddaddy!” she whined, rolling over and burying her face in the cushion beneath her head.

Jack laughed and shook his head. She was so much like Rory that it made Jack’s chest hurt remembering that his youngest son hated him.

“Cali,” he whispered, shaking her shoulder lightly. “Come on, princess,” he coaxed, rolling her over and gathering her in his arms. “We need to go.”

Cali scowled and buried her face in shoulder. “Where?” she muttered sleepily.

“To see a spaceship,” Jack whispered in her ear.

Instantly Cali’s head shot up and looked at him with wide eyes. “A spaceship?” she whispered in awe. “A real one?”

“Of course it’s a real one, silly,” Jack scolded. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Emily says they’re not real,” Cali tattled, her lips forming an adorable pout.

Jack clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “Well Emily’s silly, isn’t she? She needs to see what we have here.”

Cali grinned and hugged Jack tightly. “Can she granddaddy?” she begged, crocodile tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Immediately Jack knew that he had been tricked. “Can she really?”

Jack shifted uncomfortably as he grabbed Cali’s coat from where it was lying on the end of the couch. “Erm…” he began, unsure of how to get himself out of the mess he had made. 

“We’ll see. You’ll have to ask Uncle Nicky first,” he told her, wondering how creative Dominic would be when he killed his father for implanting that idea in Cali’s head.

They made their way out into the main Hub where Felix and Blair were already waiting for them. “Come on,” Blair huffed in annoyance, waving Jack over to the lift.

“The others have already gone up,” Felix added as they stepped onto the lift.

“Daddy?” Cali asked as the lift began its rise to the Plass. Felix looked up at his daughter and she continued, “Where’s Myfanwy?” she asked in concern, noticing that her ‘pet’ wasn’t there anymore – she never disappeared.

Felix smiled affectionately and ran her hand over his daughter’s hair. “Grandpa let her out to play,” he replied, trying not to let his worry about what was going to happen seep through into the foreground of his mind. If Rory was right and she could pick up on emotions, he didn’t want her to be overwhelmed by what they were all feeling.

Rory looked away from where the Doctor was explaining the basic principles of the protection field when he heard an excited cry of, “Papa!”

Cali jumped down from Jack’s arms and ran over to Rory, throwing her arms around his legs and hugging him tightly; she had long since realised that the baby was too big to let papa pick her up.

Rory smiled and ran his hand over her dark hair. Felix came over and picked her up, raising her to her papa’s level so he could hug her as best as he could.

The older man had tears in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around his daughter, holding her as close as he could. “I love you, Cali,” he whispered, pressing his lips against her hair and breathing in her scent.

Cali grinned and threw her arms around Rory’s neck, hugging him tightly. “I love you too, papa!” she cried, planting a sloppy kiss on his lips.

“It we’re going to do this, we need to do it now,” the Doctor interrupted, the tone of his voice regretful.

Rory nodded his head, heaving a heavy sigh as he kissed Cali once more. “Do you want to see the spaceship?” he asked his daughter.

Her eyes lit up happily and she nodded her head eagerly. “That’s it,” he told her, nodding towards the TARDIS.

She looked at the police box before turning back to him with an incredulous expression. “That?” she repeated, pointing to the TARDIS.

“It’s bigger inside,” Felix assured her, nodding Kat over. “Why don’t you and Kat go and have a look around?” he suggested. “Me and papa will be there soon,” he lied.

Cali nodded her head, grinning from ear to ear as she jumped down from Felix’s arms and ran over to Kat.

Felix reached out and took Rory’s hand in his as the TARDIS’ doors closed behind the girls. “She’ll be okay,” he whispered, running his hand through Rory’s hair.

Rory nodded his head, swallowing heavily and pushing his tears aside. He didn’t want to speak his fears aloud, but both he and Felix knew what was going through his mind.

Neither of them could say for certain that Rory would see Cali again.

TBC


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

The Earth shook violently underneath their feet, making their knees buckle. They had used Tosh’s Rift manipulator program to open the Rift as wide as they dared. They were all stood on the Plass, having almost completely destroyed the Hub.

All around them buildings were on the verge of collapsing; several had already lost a few loose roof tiles. Many of the windows in the Millennium Centre had shattered, their shards of glass covering the floor like snow. The water on the bay was pounding violently against the boardwalk, the waves being drawn inward by the pull of the Rift.

The Doctor had warned them that opening the Rift would allow more of the Gelth to slip through and he had been right. Almost instantly the gaseous creatures had appeared in their world and gone on a search for more dead bodies they could possess.

Word seemed to have gotten out about what they were doing because soon the Plass had filled with walking zombies; many of them from the graveyard where the pipe had ruptured in the first place. Jack just hoped he didn’t spot Gwen amongst the possessed. He didn’t know how he would cope with seeing her such a long time after losing her.

As one the Gelth were pushing the Torchwood team back, closer and closer to the gaping Rift behind them. What had once been a magnificent water tower was now nothing more than a stump protruding from the ground: various pieces of debris lying at their feet. Only one thing stood between them and the Rift; the TARDIS.

All of them were standing as close to the blue police box as they could. Hoping the TARDIS’ shielding could protect them. But deep down, they all knew it wouldn’t hold for long.

Rory could feel the searing pain in his head increasing by the second. It had been getting worse since they had opened the Rift, despite the threat of it destroying Cardiff – and the world.

“Rory,” Felix begged. “Please don’t do this,” he added hoping that he could change his lover’s mind. Although he knew it wasn’t possible. Rory was right. There was only one way to stop what was happening.

“I have to,” Rory whispered, taking a step away from the TARDIS and his family, moving closer to the Rift.

Felix grabbed hold of his partner’s wrist, wrenching him back towards him. “No!” he stated firmly. “There has to be another way. We’ll find another way.” 

The older man cupped his lover’s cheek and smiled affectionately. “I’m sorry, Felix. You know this is the only thing we can do. I love you so much, but I…” He looked back at the Rift, feeling a cold wind blow through the gaping hole in time and space. 

Somewhere behind him, he heard gunshots fire as the other’s defended them against the creatures surrounding the Rift. Fear for his family flashed through him and determination to stop what was happening flooded his soul.

Rory leant closer to his lover and kissed him tenderly, trying to put everything he felt for the Time Lord in that kiss. If it was the last time he was going to kiss Felix, Rory wanted to make sure there was no hesitation about his feelings for his partner.

“I have to do this. I love you,” he whispered against Felix’s lips. “Take care of Cali. Make sure she knows I love her.”

“I will,” Felix swore through his tears, not wanting to relinquish his grip on the other man.

Rory ran his hands down Felix’s arms, squeezing him tightly before stepping out of his embrace, not releasing his hand however. He looked over at his parents, brother and the rest of the Torchwood team. He tried to muster a smile, but he was aware he wasn’t convincing any of them; he was trying to be braver than he felt, but he knew none of them believed his bravado. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the concrete below them cracking even further.

Rory cast one last look at Felix, squeezing his hand tightly and releasing him. He took a step away from Felix, knowing that if he stayed where he was, he wouldn’t go through with what had to do. He drew in a deep breath and turned to face what had been the water tower. 

“Doctor,” Jack cried over the noise. “Protect him as much as you can,” he instructed.

The Time Lord nodded his head. “I will,” he swore. “The TARDIS’ shields should protect you from the majority of the pressure,” he advised Rory. “Hopefully that’ll be enough to stop your baby from being hurt. You’re doing a very selfless thing here, Rory Harkness-Jones.”

Rory offered him a thankful smile and cast one last look at Felix, before taking a deep breath and turning to face what had been the water tower. 

I have to do this, he reminded himself as he felt his hands begin to shake. The whole world depends on this.

As Rory stepped closer to the Rift, he could feel the energy he had lived with his entire life, humming through him. Pounding behind his eyes. It hurt, being that close to the naked Rift, but the pain was also refreshing. He finally knew why he had been connected to the Rift since birth. He hoped his family would forgive him for risking his and his child’s life.

TBC


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

The explosion in the Rift was blinding, white and orange light spreading across the Plass.

The Torchwood team – plus the Doctor – fell to the ground, shielding their eyes from the bright light to stop themselves from going blind. Inside the TARDIS, Cali clutched at her cousin tightly, whimpering fearfully and looking up at her. Kat, for her part, was trying to stay calm so Cali didn’t pick up on her fear for Rory.

A piercing screech filled the air and Jack lifted his head curiously, watching as the zombies froze in their tracks. They shuddered violently and the Gelth – being drawn by the pull of the Rift closing – exited the bodies.

The Gelth, white and mist like, moved around the Plass, searching for the person that dare attempt to expel them from their host bodies. They drew closer and closer to Rory as the young man strained to keep the explosion contained within the Rift.

“Rory!” the Doctor cried, jumping to his feet and running over to his grandson’s partner. “They’re gone,” he whispered, placing his hand on Rory’s back. “You’ve done it; you can stop now.”

When Rory spoke his voice was strained and weak. “I can’t,” he cried.

Jack and Ianto looked at each other in alarm. No one had considered that once Rory began to manipulate the Rift, he wouldn’t be able to let go of that power.

“You need to let go now, Rory,” the Doctor told him, running his hand over the back of the young man’s neck. “Think of Cali and Felix,” he added, hoping that a reminder of his family would be enough to convince Rory into letting go of the Rift.

Rory continued manipulating the Rift, seemingly unable to break the connection. “I can’t,” he whispered, tears freely flowing down his cheeks. “It hurts,” he sobbed.

The Doctor wrapped his arm around Rory, steadying the other man’s shaking body. “Yes you can, Rory,” he murmured in his ear, running his hand soothingly up and down Rory’s arms.

The rest of the team looked as though they wanted to help the Doctor convince Rory to stop, but the Doctor shook his head. If they were to pull Rory away from the Rift before the other man separated the connection, he would die for sure.

“Imagine slamming the door on a salesman you don’t like,” the Doctor continued. “They’re persistent, but they keep trying to inch their way in. Tell them you don’t want their business and close that door.”

Rory shook his head; sweat pouring down his forehead. “I…”

“Don’t tell me that you can’t, Rory Franklin Harkness-Jones,” the Doctor instructed firmly. “The whole world is going to get sucked into that Rift if you don’t do something about it. Think of your family…”

There was a sudden explosion of light before the Plass was plunged into darkness. Rory collapsed backwards, his body going limp in the Doctor’s arms.

“What happened?” Jack’s disembodied voice demanded from somewhere to the Doctor’s left.

The Time Lord fumbled in his pocket, searching wildly for his sonic screwdriver as he tried to keep a hold of Rory. “Aha!” he cried, withdrawing the piece of alien technology and pointing it a nearby street light. 

The light flickered for a few moments before the bulb flickered on, providing a little light to the Plass.

Jack, Ianto and Felix scrabbled to their feet and ran over to the Doctor. Jack and Ianto took one look at Rory and drew in horrified gasps. Their son’s skin was pale and there was a thin shin of sweet covering his face. Blood slowly trickled from Rory’s nose and left ear.

Ianto pressed his fingers against Rory’s neck, feeling for a pulse. Silence passed between the team before Ianto announced that the young man had a pulse – albeit a very weak one.

“We need to get him into the TARDIS,” the Doctor stated, looking at Rory’s parents. “He needs to be checked over properly. When the Rift is open it’s at its strongest, we need to make sure being connected to that amount of power hasn’t done something to his mind.”

“Doctor,” Felix said, placing a hand on the older Time Lord’s arm, stopping him from moving away. “What about the baby?”

TBC


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Jack entered the room and immediately felt his heart constrict at the sight in front of him. His youngest son was lying on the bed, ashen against the white sheets, with his eyes closed and a tube down his throat to help him breathe.

Felix looked up when he heard the door open and tried to smile when he saw Jack. But his facial muscles wouldn’t co-operate and he ended up grimacing more than smiling. “He hasn’t woken up,” he whispered, looking at their adjoined hands.

The Captain felt his heart break again at the pain Felix must be feeling. After all he’d been through in the past few days, not knowing if Rory would share the same possible fate as their child… He could only imagine what the young Time Lord was feeling at that moment.

Jack placed a hand on Felix’s shoulder, snapping his attention back to his father-in-law. “Why don’t you go get some fresh air?” he suggested.

Felix shook his head firmly. “He needs me,” he argued.

He placed both his hands on Felix’s shoulders and leant down to press his lips against the dark haired man’s head. “He needs you to stay healthy, Felix,” Jack whispered, slowly pulling Felix to his feet. “You need to get something to eat.”

Felix looked as though he was going to argue again, but something about the look in Jack’s eyes made him stop, his shoulders slumping forward in defeat as he nodded his head.

Jack averted his eyes politely as Felix pressed a kiss against Rory’s unresponsive lips – despite the tube that was down his throat – and whispered, “I won’t be long.”

They hugged briefly as Felix left the room, leaving Jack alone with his son for the first time in months. 

Taking a deep breath, Jack steeled himself and stepped closer to the bed, dragging the chair Felix had been sat in closer to Rory. 

Cautiously, Jack took his son’s hand in his own, lightly running his fingers across the back, careful to avoid the IV drip. “God, Rory,” he murmured, expelling the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding in. “This is why I didn’t want you near Cardiff when you gave birth…” He could feel tears forming in his eyes.

“Damn you,” he snapped, allowing the tears to fall unchecked. “Why did you have to be so noble?”

“It’s in his blood,” a familiar voice spoke softly from the doorway, making Jack jump in surprise.

The Captain quickly turned around to see Ianto standing behind him, a torrent of emotions flitting across his face. “Ianto, I…”

Ianto shook his head, stepping further into the room and brushing Rory’s hair away from his forehead. “Don’t apologise for being here, Will,” he whispered, not looking into the older man’s eyes. “Rory is your son. You have every right to visit him.”

Jack nodded his head, feeling the atmosphere swell with tension. They had barely spoken to each other since Jack had slammed his wedding band down and stormed out – and even then it had only been out of necessity. 

“How long is he going to be…?” Jack took a deep breath, “When is he likely to wake up?” he asked.

Ianto shrugged, running his fingers down his youngest son’s unshaven cheek. “We don’t have any way to know,” he admitted. “His body shut down after he closed the Rift. As far as we can tell, his body is repairing itself. When it’s ready, he’ll wake up.”

“What if…?” Jack closed his eyes, swallowing around the bile in his throat. “What if it’s not replenishing itself? What if it’s slowly shutting down again?”

The assassin closed his eyes as well, trying to force the tears back – too many had been shed over the course of the past few days, they needed to remain strong for Rory’s sake. “I… I can’t think about that,” he admitted, forcing his eyes open and looking at Jack. “He… He’s a father, Will. He has to survive.”

Jack could tell that Ianto was about to break down and instinctively he moved around the bed so that he was standing behind Ianto, ready to catch him when he fell.

As he expected, the instant he sensed Jack’s presence behind him, Ianto collapsed back. The older man immediately curled his arms around Ianto, holding him against his chest.

“I can’t lose him, Will,” he murmured, clutching Jack’s braces as he tried to remain on his feet.

Jack pressed his lips against Ianto’s head, breathing in the other man’s scent. It had been so long since he had held his partner, that he couldn’t help his body reacting to the close proximity. If Ianto noticed Jack’s reaction, he didn’t mention anything about it.

“You won’t. We won’t,” he corrected himself, running his hand down Ianto’s arm. “Rory’s a fighter. He won’t let something like this beat him.”

He kissed Ianto’s temple automatically. When he realised what he had done, he pulled away, apologising profusely for his actions.

Ianto shook his head, brushing away his apologies. “It’s okay,” he whispered, surprising himself by actually meaning his words.

A polite cough sounded and they both looked up to see Felix standing in the doorway. Jack took a step back, so there was a respectable distance between himself and Ianto, before he looked at the Time Lord. 

Felix looked a little better than he had previously, there was a little more colour in his cheeks and his eyes seemed more alert. Jack realised that he had probably been to visit the others. “Is he still the same?” Felix asked, crossing the room and sitting back in the chair Jack had vacated.

Ianto nodded his head. “Yeah,” he whispered, leaning over and pressing a kiss on his son’s cheek. “Take care of him,” he said to Felix, who nodded his head firmly. He had no intention of letting Rory leave him.

Jack kissed Rory’s forehead, silently begging his son to wake up, before he mirrored the action on Felix’s forehead. “Take care, Fe,” he whispered, taking a step back and brushing his coat down.

Ianto could tell that Jack was getting ready to leave; clearly he thought that his presence still wasn’t wanted. But Ianto wasn’t ready to watch Jack walk away from them. Not again. Rory needed him, and he was surprised to realise how much he needed the Captain as well.

“Do you want to go see everyone?” Ianto asked softly, looking into Jack’s blue eyes.

The Captain started in surprise – obviously he hadn’t been expecting the invitation. “I…” He smiled and nodded his head, “I’d like that,” he whispered, holding the door open for Ianto and watching as the other man left the room.

TBC


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Cali and Kat were sat in the control room of the TARDIS. The younger of the cousins was sitting next to the centre console and happily chatting away to the TARDIS, much to Kat’s amusement.

The Doctor had helped Jack, Ianto and the Torchwood team get Rory into the space ship where he and the baby could be checked over as thoroughly as possible. As a result of their tests, Rory was still lying in the Medical by of the TARDIS and the baby was…

Kat looked up when she heard footsteps approaching them. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Ianto enter the room, Jack too close behind him for it to be considered appropriate.

Wisely, she didn’t comment, instead she nudged Cali – interrupting her conversation with the spaceship – and nodded to their grandparents.

“Is papa still sleeping?” Cali asked quietly, running her fingers over the console. She smiled when the TARDIS brushed her mind, calming her worries for Rory.

Ianto nodded his head, crouching down next to her and pressing his lips against her dark hair. “Yeah,” he whispered, squeezing her tightly and getting to his feet. “He’ll be okay soon,” he added, trying to smile, although Kat noticed that it didn’t meet his eyes.

“Where’s Nick?” Jack asked quietly.

Kat nodded to the doors of the TARDIS, “Cleaning up,” she replied evasively, not wanting to say exactly what he was doing in front of Cali; in reality he was with the rest of the team, moving the bodies back to the morgue.

Jack placed a hand on Ianto’s arm and the assassin looked over his partner curiously. A moment later Ianto nodded his head. 

“Will you be okay keeping your eye on her?” Jack asked Kat, nodding to Cali who had once again resumed her conversation with the TARDIS.

Kat agreed that she would keep her eye on her cousin and watched with a smile as Jack and Ianto headed down the corridor.

~

At the end of the corridor Jack turned left and Ianto knew where they were heading; their bedroom from the last time they had travelled together with the Doctor. It was probably the only place they could talk without fear of being interrupted – the TARDIS would keep out any unwanted visitors, unless there was an emergency.

Ianto crossed the room and sank into the large overstuffed armchair, looking around the room. Nothing had changed since the last time they stayed there – everything was just as Ianto remembered it.

Jack closed the door softly and shrugged his greatcoat off, hanging it on the hook by the door. His blue gaze studied Ianto as he sat down on the bed, groaning gratefully as he pulled his boots off, throwing them across the room in the direction of the wardrobe. 

“I’m not going to apologise for what I said,” Ianto stated evenly after a long moment of silence. He was too tired to keep being angry with Jack. “I meant every single word. You are jealous of Rory and Felix; always have been. Don’t deny it.”

Jack scowled and nodded his head, his jaw tight. He had never admitted that to anyone and Ianto was not about to drag a verbal agreement from the former Time Agent, but in reality he was right. For a long time, he had wanted the Doctor – to kiss him and shag him senseless – but he knew it was never going to happen, especially when Ianto came into his life again.

“And I’m not going to apologise for hitting you,” Jack responded, his voice the same tone and level as Ianto; he too was tired of being annoyed. “It felt good and you deserved it.”

Ianto chuckled, a rumble deep in his throat and slowly got up from the chair, his limbs felt so heavy, as though they were made of lead; if Ianto didn’t know any better, he’d say old age was catching up on him.

“We’ve got eternity together, Will,” Ianto said softly sitting next to Jack and placing a hand on his thigh. “We’re not always going to get along.”

Jack laughed and rolled his eyes. “We didn’t always get along when we were mortal,” he commented, “remember?” he added, running the tips of his fingers over Ianto’s cheek.

Ianto smiled and brought his hand up, covering Jack’s as he ran his fingers over the now almost impossible to detect scar; it had been the consequence of too much alcohol, too many angry words and a flying glass.

“Rory needs us,” Jack stated, lacing his fingers with Ianto’s. “Fighting with each other isn’t going to help him.”

Ianto nodded his head in agreement, bringing his free hand up and caressing Jack’s cheek. “But it’s not going to be easy,” Jack murmured.

Ianto smirked and leant forward, pressing his lips to Jack’s in a chaste kiss. “Nothing worth doing is easy,” he reminded the Captain, making Jack roll his eyes.

TBC


	62. Chapter 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are flashbacks.

Chapter 62

_Gray exited the Hub and looked around at him as he headed up the stairs away from the throng of slow moving bodies._

_He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened to release him from the frozen tomb. Something had tried to possess him, he had felt the energy trying to seep into his being, but for whatever reason the entity had changed its mind._

_The young man crossed to a newspaper stand and picked up a paper, ignoring the man behind the stand as he looked at the date._

_2041\. Thirty years. His bastard of a brother had left him frozen for over thirty years._

_Gray slammed the paper down, a determined expression on his face. He wasn’t worried about his older sibling. Whatever had happened to release him was bound to be investigated by Torchwood. Gray would simply wait until the opportune moment to strike._

_And when he did, he would make sure that Will suffered as much as humanly possible._

Dominic frowned in confusion and looked down at the body on the slab. Every other employee of Torchwood had been placed back in the Morgue drawers. Except for the body in front of him. He knew what drawer the man belonged in – there was only one file remaining after the others had been put away. What was confusing him was that there wasn’t a name on the man’s file. 

“Dad?” he called, pressing his earpiece. “Where are you?”

“Here,” Jack replied, entering the room with Ianto. The younger man smiled when he noticed how close they were standing. They weren’t holding hands, but at least they could be next to each other without trying to kill one another. 

“We were just coming to see if you needed any help,” Ianto added.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked, crossing the morgue with Ianto and standing next to their son. He placed a hand on Dominic’s shoulder.

“I can’t figure out who this is,” Dominic explained, nodding down at the man in front of him. “There’s no name on file.”

Ianto and Jack followed his gaze and immediately Ianto felt Jack stiffen beside him. “I know who he is,” Ianto explained, taking the file from Dominic. “I’ll complete this,” he added. “Why don’t you do check on Rory?” he suggested.

Dominic looked as though he was about to argue, but one look at Jack’s distant expression made him nod his head and he reluctantly left his parents alone with the body.

“He’s actually dead,” Jack whispered, running his hand down his brother’s cheek. “I knew it would happen one day, but I never thought… I know what he did to Tosh, but I guess I was hoping he could still be redeemed.”

Ianto placed a hand on his partner’s arm. “You knew he couldn’t stay frozen forever.”

“How did he die?” Jack asked quietly, not taking his eyes away from his brother. “Was it the Gelth?”

Ianto looked down at the file and shook his head. “It says here he died of a gunshot wound to the stomach.” The irony of how he died didn’t escape either of them. Someone shot him in the same place he had shot Tosh all those years before. “It was a bullet from…” he trailed off, staring down at the writing before him in horror.

“What?” Jack demanded, finally tearing his gaze away from Gray. “Who shot him?”

“Will…” Ianto said softly, turning the file around so he could see the ballistics results.

“The bullet came from Dominic’s gun,” Jack read aloud. “How is that even possible?”

Ianto placed the file on the table and pulled Jack into his arms. “It wasn’t his fault,” he whispered in the older Time Agent’s ear. “He’s never seen Gray; he wouldn’t know.”

“It probably happened when we were trying to keep everyone away from Rory and the TARDIS,” Jack whispered, resting his head on Ianto’s shoulder. “I… We can’t tell Dominic,” he stated. “If he knew who this,” he nodded to Gray, “really is, he’ll feel guilty for the rest of his life.”

Ianto nodded his head, pressing a kiss against Jack’s forehead. They would seal Gray back in the drawers and lock him away for the rest of time. Dominic would never know that he shot and killed his last remaining uncle.

TBC


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Martha rushed up to the TARDIS. She raised her hand to knock but before she could even touch the wood the panelled doors opened. As she entered the ship, she let her gratefulness come to the front of her mind, knowing that the brilliant ship would pick up on it.

The TARDIS seemed to be abandoned. She didn’t know where everyone was, but she didn’t have to worry too much. The ships lights flashed, leading her down the twisting corridors to a room right at the very end.

The room was kitted out pretty much like a hospital room. Any available space there would have been was taken up by medical equipment. The bed was in the centre of the room and lying motionless on the bed was Rory.

He was paler than Martha could ever remember seeing him. Felix was sitting in the chair next to the bed with Cali in his arms.

Cali was wearing her pink pyjamas and her hair was neatly brushed. Martha assumed that the older Time Lord was telling his daughter a bedtime story.

“Hey,” she greeted quietly, not wanting to disturb the moment but wanting to know what was wrong with Rory.

She knew he’d be okay. There was no way the TARDIS would let Jack and Ianto’s son die – at least, she hoped there was no way.

Cali looked up and grinned at Martha. “Daddy’s reading a story,” she informed her.

Martha smiled and sat in the chair next to Felix. “Then I won’t interrupt him.”

Felix grinned weakly, not having the energy to muster a full smile. He knew he didn’t have to pretend to be strong in front of Martha. She would be strong for both of them. 

Ever since she had found out who Rory really was – before he’d even been conceived, let alone been born – she’d been insanely overprotective of Rory. Martha knew it was partly because she felt sorry for him after the way Jack had treated him prior to him finding out.

The story finished, as all fairy tales do, with a happy ending and Martha looked down at Cali with a smile. The young girl was already falling asleep in Felix’s arm by the time he got to ‘The End’. “Come on you,” Felix said, softly nudging her. “Time for bed.”

“Wanna sleep with papa,” she whined sleepily, burying her face in Felix’s shoulder.

“I know you do, sweetie,” Felix agreed, “but you can’t do that when you’re in this chair with me.”

Cali nodded and didn’t complain once when Felix stood up with her in his arms. Carefully he lowered her onto the bed, where she instantly cuddled up to Rory’s side. 

“Remember what Blair said,” Felix warned.

Nodding again, she moved so her was head on the pillow next to Rory’s, making sure his chest was clear so he could breathe.

“I’m going outside to talk to aunt Martha,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Night, night sweetie.”

“Night daddy. Night aunt Martha,” she murmured back as they left the room.

Just before Felix closed the door, he heard Cali place a sloppy kiss on Rory’s face, followed by, “Night, night papa.”

TBC


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Martha followed Felix out of the room, waiting until he had closed the door before asking, “What happened to him?”

Felix sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. “You know how all this – stuff’s been happening lately?” Martha nodded her head. “Well it was a bunch of aliens called the Gelth. They came through the Rift and the only way to get rid of them was to manipulate it, opening and then closing it again.”

“Rory manipulated the Rift?” Martha asked in astonishment. “And you let him?” Felix nodded his head. “Felix! You should have stopped him!”

Felix glared at the dark skinned woman. “I didn’t let him do anything. He’s a grown man, I can’t stop him from doing something so idiotically brave.” He voice broke at the end of the sentence and tears filled his eyes.

Martha reached out and pulled the young Time Lord into her arms, hugging him tightly. When he rested his head against hers and allowed himself to be drawn closer, Martha couldn’t help marvelling at how different he was from his grandfather. The Doctor very rarely let people show him affection and usually tried to distance himself from others. Speaking of which – 

“Where’s the Doctor?” Martha asked carefully; even though Felix was inside the TARDIS she wasn’t sure it that was a choice or due only to the medical equipment being used to help Rory.

Felix nodded over his shoulder. “He said he was going to see if Jack needed his help in the Hub,” he replied.

Martha smiled for a moment before asking, “Are you okay with him – the Doctor - being here?”

Felix shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “I… He helped Rory and for that I am so grateful. It he hadn’t…”

“I’m not talking about Rory being okay with him being here,” Martha interrupted. “He’s not Rory’s grandfather.”

Felix sighed and looked away from her for a moment. “I thought I wouldn’t be,” he whispered. “With everything I’d heard about him, but now he’s here I want him around more often. I know he can’t stay but I wouldn’t object to him visiting.”

Martha smiled and pulled his head down so she could kiss him on the forehead. “Why don’t you tell him that?” she suggested. “I think you’ll find he’ll want to see more of the beautiful family he didn’t even know he had.”

TBC


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

The Doctor ran his hand over the centre console of the TARDIS. “I know,” he murmured, soothing her troubled thoughts. “He’ll be okay,” he assured the spaceship.

“Will he?” Felix asked from the other side of the control room, making the Doctor fall of the jump seat in surprise.

“Boy,” the Doctor breathed, clutching his hand over one of his hearts as he tried to regain his breath. “You move quietly enough to be an assassin.” He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, “You’re not, are you?”

Felix smiled and shook his head, “Just your average Time Lord-human hybrid Torchwood Agent,” he assured him. “Ianto is the only assassin we need.”

The Doctor managed to crack a smile and he turned away from Felix’s gaze, running a hand over the console as he tried to think of something to say. He yelped and quickly withdrew his hand when she shocked him. 

“Ouch!” he cried, clutching his hand to his chest and glaring at the spaceship. “About Jack and Ianto,” the Doctor began, “can you… How do you stand to look at them every day?” he eventually asked, lowering his voice so Jack didn’t hear him.

Felix’s own eyes narrowed and the Doctor held his hands up in defence. “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with them both being immortal – I know better now – but looking at them for a long time gives me headache,” he explained himself.

Felix still looked wary of his grandfather but nodded his head slowly. “They used to do the same to me,” he confirmed. “But after a while you just get used to it.”

“Ten years,” the Doctor commented. “I suppose after that length of time, you’d get used to anything.”

They fell silent until the Doctor added, “I wouldn’t know, I never stay around long enough to truly get to know people.”

Felix chewed his bottom lip guiltily, “I didn’t mean…”

The elder Time Lord waved his hand, “You were right to keep yourself secret from me,” he said softly. “I’m not exactly what you’d call a stable role model. But you were right; I do abandon people. I abandoned Jack all those years ago and I certainly abandoned your mother.”

Felix shook his head, “You thought she was dead,” he argued. The Doctor looked at him in surprise and he smiled bashfully, “When I took you into my mind, your memories of her slipped through into my mind.”

“Ah.”

“You had no way of knowing that she would regenerate when she wasn’t a ‘real’ Time Lord.”

The Doctor crossed the control room, taking Felix’s hands in his own. “She was – is – a real Time Lord,” he retorted. “I didn’t see it at the time, but she really is. A Time Lord’s purpose is to help shape and mould time, she gave birth to you. She continued the generation of Time Lord’s.”

Felix smiled and tentatively hugged the Doctor. The older man stiffened in surprise before slowly curling his arms around Felix; he wasn’t used to physical affection and it still surprised him a little.

“You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?” Felix whispered, pulling back from the Doctor and looking into his brown eyes.

The Doctor nodded his head. “I can’t stay in one place, Felix,” he said with a tone akin to regret. “As much as I would love to stay here with you and your family…”

“You have a whole universe out there waiting for you,” Felix finished.

“It’s not that,” the Doctor argued. “Wherever I go, I tend to cause havoc and trouble. And that is the last thing I want for this city.”

Felix flashed him a smile and hugged him tighter this time, feeling more confident about himself. “You have to visit though,” he instructed, staring hard at his grandfather. “I don’t care how often you do it, just make sure Cali knows she has a great-grandfather, okay?”

The Doctor nodded his head, beaming from ear to ear as he squeezed Felix’s shoulder. “I can do that,” he assured him. 

As Felix left the control room, Jack pushed open the doors of the TARDIS and entered the spaceship, shivering as he shrugged off his coat and let the heat of the ship warm him. 

“God it’s cold out there,” he muttered, his eyes watching someone walk away. “Was that Felix?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

The Doctor nodded his head, sitting back down in the seat. “And you’re both still alive?” Jack commented dryly, moving further into the control room.

The Time Lord rolled his eyes and glared at the Captain. “I’ll have you know we had a civilised conversation,” he retorted.

Jack snorted with laughter. “Yeah, right.”

“No! We did!” the Doctor insisted. “There was tea and crumpets and everything.”

The immortal rolled his eyes and made his way toward the corridor that lead to his and Ianto’s bedroom; the assassin had sent him a message telling him he was naked and the ship was making him horny. If Ianto had been joking with him, Jack knew he would shoot him on sight.

“Jack?” the Doctor called before he could disappear out of sight.

“Hmm?” Jack replied, turning to look at the Time Lord questioningly.

“What Rory did was very brave and selfless,” the Doctor stated. “You should be proud of him.”

Jack smiled and nodded his head, “I am,” he answered sincerely.

The Doctor was already busy moving around the console, looking at screens Jack knew didn’t work so Jack began to continue on his way.

“Jack?” He turned back to the Doctor again. “Does Rory know that?”

TBC


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Rory could feel fear rise in his chest. He was completely surrounded by darkness. He had no idea where he was, but there was something in the darkness: something watching his every movement and action. 

“Who’s there?” he demanded, his voice echoing around him as though he were in a cave.

A chuckle sounded and suddenly the area was flooded with light. Rory groaned and shielded his eyes with his hand, trying to stop himself from being blinded. 

“It’s wonderful to see you again, Rory,” a familiar voice whispered as the light dimmed to a bearable level.

“Gwen?” Rory breathed in surprise, lowering his hand and finding himself looking directly at the Welshwoman who had died to save his life.

Gwen stepped closer to him, surrounded by white light like some kind of ethereal being. “Hi,” she whispered, smiling at the young man, who quickly drew her into a hug.

“But…” Rory said, breaking away from her and looking at the Welshwoman in confusion. “You died. I saw you die right in front of me.”

Gwen nodded her head, reaching up and brushing his dark hair away from his forehead. “I did,” she agreed.

“If you died… And I’m talking to you…” His blue eyes widened in horror. “Does that mean I’m dead as well?” he asked fearfully.

She shook her head. “Not yet,” she whispered.

“Not yet?” Rory repeated, his voice echoing once more. “What does that mean?”

“How much of what happened do you remember?” she asked.

He frowned, trying to cast his mind back. “Not much,” he admitted. “I remember the Gelth and the Rift… The Rift. I closed it…” he whispered, memories slowly filtering back into his mind; like waking from a deep slumber and trying to recall a dream.

Gwen nodded her head, smiling warmly at him. “You did well,” she complimented as the room around them changed and they found themselves in what looked like a hospital room.

Rory drew in a surprised gasp at the sight of himself lying in the bed.

“Felix,” he breathed, reaching out and trying to run and hand through his partner’s hair. To his dismay, the image vanished at his touch; leaving them in the white room once more.

“Stop this!” he screamed, rounding on Gwen. “What’s going on?”

“You’ve been in a coma for three weeks, Rory,” Gwen informed him. “Closing the Rift drained the energy out of you, but being free of it had a price.”

“What?” Rory demanded. “What price?”

Gwen closed her eyes and turned away from the young man. Instantly, Rory knew what she was implying and his hands flew to his flat stomach, “No,” he whispered, his eyes filling with tears as he stumbled backwards. “Please, no. Don’t…”

She opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around Rory, pulling him tightly against her. “There’s still time,” she assured him. “But there’s something you need to do.”

“What?” Rory screamed, tears falling freely as he thought of his actions and how they had endangered someone so innocent and tiny. “Tell me!” he instructed, grabbing hold of Gwen’s arms and shaking her.

Gwen shrugged herself out of Rory’s grasp. “You need to wake up, Rory,” she said simply. “Felix needs his partner back and Cali needs her papa.”

“What about…?” he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Gwen smiled and pressed the palm of her hand against his cheek. “That, I have no answer to,” she whispered, pressing her lips against his forehead.

TBC


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Felix was so exhausted. He had been sitting at Rory’s beside for so long; all he wanted was for the older man to wake up so they could go home and he could sleep in a proper bed for the first time in what felt like years.

He jerked when he heard someone call his name, he was positive it had sounded like his partner. “Rory?” he called, sitting up and leaning over him.

The older man remained motionless; he hadn’t woken up after all. Three weeks and he was still in a coma. Jack and Ianto stopped by at regular intervals to check on his progress and to try and make Felix rest. But the Time Lord refused to leave Rory’s side. 

Cali was confused about why her papa was spending so much time asleep. Reluctantly Blair had agreed to let her spend each night in Rory’s bed, although it had taken days of persuading from the others. 

Felix sighed and flopped back down in his chair, deciding that he was too tired and his mind had decided to play tricks on him.

He shivered when he felt a ghostly touch on his head, making the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand up. “Please, Rory,” he begged, running his hands over Rory’s torso. “There’s so much you’re missing. Cali needs you... I need you… Fuck it; everyone needs you to come back to us. I think your dad and tad have made up. Well, either that or they were having post break-up sex yesterday. Six months too late admittedly…” 

He paused, waiting to see if his words got a reaction out of Rory. When the other man’s condition didn’t appear to have changed, Felix closed his eyes and stubbornly pushed back the tears that were threatening to spill. “Please wake up,” he begged.

Almost as if prompted by his words, Rory took a shuddering breath and almost choked on the tube in his throat.

Instantly Felix was at his side, brushing his hand over Rory’s hair, trying to soothe him. 

“Shh…” he whispered, waiting until Rory was still before he carefully slid the tube from his partner’s throat, allowing him to breathe on his own.

Felix tapped a finger against the Bluetooth headset he was wearing, advising whoever was listening that Rory was awake, before turning his attention back to the other man. 

“Calm down, Rory,” he murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed, running his hand soothingly down his lover’s sore throat.

He could see confusion shining in Rory’s eyes and he pressed his lips against his lovingly, just as the door opened and Blair came rushing in. 

“You’re awake,” the medic greeted, rushing over to Rory and beginning his tests to ensure that Rory was fine.

As Blair poked at him and prodded him with various needles, Rory looked around the room. It was as stark and white as it had been when Gwen had shown him it. He knew now that he wasn’t in a real hospital. But he wasn’t in Torchwood either, nothing looked familiar. 

“What happened?” he finally croaked, not liking how much his throat hurt from having that damn pipe down it.

“What was the last thing you remember?” Felix asked carefully.

“Closing the Rift,” Rory replied instantly, starting to get agitated; he wanted to know what happened to their child. “Is the baby okay?” he demanded.

TBC


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

“The stress of opening the rift induced early labour,” Blair explained as gently as he could. “We had to do an emergency C-section and get the baby out of you. It’s partly the reason why you’ve been unconscious for so long.”

“I thought it was to do with me closing the Rift,” Rory stated weakly.

“It was – partly. But I think you had an adverse effect to the painkillers we had to give you.”

“Be glad you don’t remember,” Felix muttered under his breath. “You were in so much pain I thought you were going to die from that alone.”

“But the baby,” Rory pressed. “You had to do a C-section, but is he okay?”

Blair nodded his head. “He is now. There was a few times when it didn’t look like he was going to pull through. But he seems have inherited your stubborn streak,” he added, smirking at Rory. “He’s in an incubator, but in another week or so he should be able to breathe on his own. He wasn’t that early, but it’s really just a precaution more than anything else.”

Rory let out a sigh of relief, unable to fully comprehend what he had risked by closing the Rift. “Thank you,” he whispered to Blair, truly meaning every word. “For everything,” he added, leaning back and closing his eyes. 

Blair inclined his head and shrugged his shoulders self-deprecatingly. “It’s my job,” he muttered under his breath, making some excuse to make a hasty exit.

When he heard the door close, Rory opened his eyes and looked up at Felix. “I’m so sorry for putting you through this,” he murmured. “I’m such a fucking fool. I should never have risked everything like…”

Felix silenced Rory by placing a finger over his lips. “Don’t you dare apologise for saving the world, Rory,” he instructed. “You were right. We were being selfish just thinking about ourselves and how much pain we’d go through if we lost the baby. The whole world was in danger and you saved it. I’m so proud of you.”

Their lips met in a soft kiss and Felix could taste salty tears; he wasn’t sure it they were his or Rory’s but he didn’t care. Rory was awake and alive, that was the only thing that mattered.

TBC


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Rory looked down at the tiny baby in front of him. He was so small, Rory found it hard to believe that Cali had ever been as little as their son. It had been almost a week since Rory had woken up and it was the first time Blair had let him out of the bed on his own.

Their son had been in the room next to Rory’s, the baby needing more peace and quiet than his father. Rory had begged Blair for days to allow him to get up and go visit him. Finally the medic had relented, wanting nothing more than to shut the other man up.

“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” a very familiar voice stated from the doorway and Rory looked up in surprise to see Jack watching him.

Rory nodded his head, his blue eyes travelling back down to the sleeping baby. “He really is,” he whispered, running his fingers over the top of the incubator. 

Jack moved across the room, stopping when he was standing behind Rory and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Rory,” he whispered, running his fingers through the hair at the back of his neck like he had done to soothe him as a child. “I’m sorry I’m such an arsehole. I really was just trying to do what I thought was best for you. Now I know that this was supposed to happen.”

Rory turned to face his father and smiled. “I’m sorry as well, dad,” he murmured, throwing his arms around Jack and hugging him tightly. “I should have listened to you. I can’t imagine what you’ve all being going through this past month.”

Jack shushed him and pressed a kiss against his forehead. “You saved the world, Rory,” he reminded him. “Me and your tad couldn’t have asked for a braver son. You and Dominic are both so special – and I’m not just taking about your abilities. You both care so much about this place that you’re willing to risk your lives for it.”

Rory flashed him a bashful smile and closed his eyes, breathing in his familiar scent. “You and dad are the same. You were even before you became immortal, Aunt Martha says. We had good role models.”

For a long moment they just stood there, listening to the beep of the machine that was monitoring the baby before Rory pulled back and looked up into Jack’s blue eyes. “Have you and tad really got back together?” he asked quietly, his eyes wide hopefully. He hated it when his parents fought and wanted them to be a family again.

Jack smiled and kissed Rory’s forehead. “We’re getting there,” he assured him. “It might take some time but we’re on the right track,” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Rory groaned and rolled his eyes, punching Jack on the shoulder. “I really am going to need therapy with you two,” he told him. “I’m sending you the bill, I hope you know.”

Jack just laughed.

TBC


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Felix entered the house, wondering where everyone was. He had been at the Hub all day, helping Dominic with something or other – after seven hours, the Time Lord wasn’t even sure he knew what he had been doing.

The house was silent and dark. Slowly, Felix made his way upstairs, pausing in the doorway to their son’s bedroom. The lights were down so low that he could barely see. But in the dim light he could see Rory sitting in the rocking chair that had bought when Cali had been born, cradling their son against his chest.

“We really need to give him a name,” Felix commented quietly, slowly stepping into the room.

Rory looked up and flashed him a smile, watching as his partner crouched down next to him. “How was work?” he asked, leaning forward carefully to make sure he didn’t disturb the baby. He pressed his lips against Felix’s, kissing him lovingly.

“I honestly have no idea,” he replied, grinning and running his hand over the baby’s dark head; his hair was so thick already. “How are you feeling?” he asked, looking at Rory nervously. 

The older man smiled reassuringly, ever since he had woke up, Felix had been getting increasingly worried about Rory’s health – both physical and mental – but he didn’t seem to be acting like there was anything wrong.

“I’m fine,” he assured him. “Cali’s been an angel, helping me look after him,” he added, nodding down at the baby. “She loves having a baby brother.”

Felix smiled and ran his index finger down the baby’s cheek. “What are we going to call him?” he asked quietly. “We can’t keep calling him baby.”

Rory smiled bashfully. “I was thinking that he looks like a Gwyn,” he whispered.

“Gwyn?” Felix replied, frowning a little. “Isn’t that the male version of…?”

“Gwen,” Rory nodded his head. “I wanted to honour her. If you want to call him something else, I…”

Felix placed a finger over Rory’s lips, silencing the other man. “I think it’s a wonderful name,” he whispered. “What about a middle name?” he asked.

“Dad and tad’s names are derivatives of John,” Rory began.

“Gwyn John?” Felix suggested.

Rory shook his head, “I was thinking Gwyn Iaon,” he corrected. “Iaon is Welsh for John – just like Ianto is.”

Felix smiled and kissed Rory softly. “I think it’s perfect,” he whispered, running his hand through Rory’s hair and looking in his blue eyes.

The moment was broken when the baby – Gwyn – woke up and started to cry. Felix pulled away from Rory and looked down at their son. “Shh,” he cooed, reaching out and carefully plucking the child from Rory’s grip and cradling him to his own chest.

“It’s okay,” he murmured, running his hand over Gwyn’s head. “Daddy’s got you,” he added, carefully bouncing him up and down. “Are you hungry?”

Gwyn continued crying and Felix smiled, kissing his forehead. “I’ll go get a bottle made up,” Rory said, sighing and getting to his feet. 

Before he left the room, he stopped in front of Felix and pressed a kiss against his lips. “I love you, Fe,” he whispered, kissing Gwyn as well.

“I love you too,” Felix replied, smiling back at his partner and following the other man into the kitchen to feed their hungry son.

TBC


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The Doctor looked around at the family gathered just outside the TARDIS’ doors. Jack was stood next to Ianto, with his arm around the younger man’s waist. Rory was leaning on the baby’s pram as their son slept, with Felix holding Cali next to them. Dominic and Kat were standing a few feet away, watching them all.

“Well,” the Doctor sighed, rubbing his hands together in the cold air. “I guess this is goodbye.”

Felix glared at him and he corrected himself, “I mean, see you soon.” He nodded when Felix grinned in satisfaction.

Jack stepped up the Doctor, holding his hand out. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Jack’s actions before pulling his oldest friend into his arms for a brief hug. “Be good, Captain,” he cautioned.

Jack grinned, his eyes glistening mischievously. “Oh, I’m always good,” he purred, winking in Ianto’s direction.

The assassin rolled his eyes and smacked Jack lightly on the back. “You never change,” he muttered good-naturedly.

Normally Jack would make a comment about Ianto not wanting him to change, but after their most recent – and longest – fight, even he thought it might be in bad taste.

“Take care of yourself, Doctor,” Ianto nodded, shaking hands with the Time Lord – he was nowhere comfortable enough to hug him.

“You too,” the Doctor murmured. “It was brilliant to see you again, Dominic,” he called, looking over at the leader of Torchwood Three. “You have a wonderful daughter; she’s going to make a great medic for Torchwood one of these days.”

Kat beamed and turned to Dominic with a smug smile on her face. “No!” Dominic instantly replied. “Not going to happen!” Kat just laughed.

“Rory,” the Doctor said softly, turning to Jack and Ianto’s youngest son. “You…” he faltered for a moment, searching for the right words, “I can’t think of anyone more suited for Felix than you,” he eventually settled for.

Rory grinned and hugged him a little, “It was… eventful meeting you,” he chuckled. “Thank you for everything.”

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, trying to dismiss Rory’s thanks. “I’ll be back to see you soon,” he promised Felix. “I can’t promise when, though. She’s not the most reliable when it comes to landing in the right time,” he added, nodding over his shoulder at the TARDIS.

Felix grinned widely and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Like I said, as long as Cali and Gwyn know they have a great-grandfather, I don’t mind.”

They hugged and the Doctor kissed Gwyn on the forehead before turning to Cali. “Now, little lady,” he said, reaching out and taking his great-granddaughter from Felix. “I have something very special I need you to look after.”

Cali’s eyes widened excitedly. “What?” she pressed eagerly.

The Doctor reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out what looked like a tiny piece of coral. He held it out in the palm of his hand. “This is for you.”

The four year old scowled in disappointment. “What is it?”

“That,” he nodded to the coral, “is your very own TARDIS,” he informed her, glancing over at the Police Box.

Cali giggled, “It’s too small.”

The Doctor laughed. “It is at the moment,” he conceded. “But if you keep it under a hot bright light, and feed it and talk to it, eventually it’ll turn into a fully grown TARDIS.”

Cali’s mouth fell open in surprise and she tightened her arms around the Doctor’s neck. “Thank you,” she whispered, taking the coral from the older Time Lord reverently.

“Your granddaddy will help you look after it,” the Doctor told her, running her hand over her hair as she ran over to Jack to show him. “I’ll be back in a few years with one for Gwyn,” he told Felix, handing him his own piece of coral. 

“Every Time Lord – and Jack,” the Doctor added, grinning at the immortal Captain, “needs their own TARDIS.”

TBC


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Rory was practically bouncing as he loaded the suitcases into the car. He looked so excited and happy that Felix couldn’t help smiling – Rory’s grin was so much Jack’s, you couldn’t help smiling when they were.

“Anyone would think we were going somewhere exotic,” Felix commented, closing the boot for Rory.

“I’ve never been outside Cardiff, never mind Wales,” Rory reminded him with a glare. “To me London is exotic.”

Felix grinned and pressed a soft kiss against his partner’s lips. “I think it’s cute,” he murmured. “You might change your mind once you get there, though. It is a UNIT conference we’re going to, after all.”

“You have no idea how glad I am that I can send you on it this year instead of going myself,” Dominic commented, stepping off the lift and making the couple jump.

Rory glared at his older brother before his face split into a grin again – he was too excited at the prospect of getting out of Cardiff that he didn’t care about Dominic using him as a way of getting out of going himself.

“Are you all set?” Jack asked a short while later when he and Ianto appeared with Cali and Gwyn.

Rory nodded his head, holding his arms out to take his son off of Ianto. “Hello,” he cooed at Gwyn, smoothing his dark hair down.

Cali tugged on Rory’s arm, successfully managing to get his attention. “Papa, I made this for you,” she informed him, holding up a pink and blue beaded bracelet. “To keep you safe.”

Rory grinned and held his left arm out, allowing her to fasten it – with Jack’s help – around his wrist just below his watch. 

“Thank you, Cali,” he smiled, hugging her tightly and pressing a kiss against her hair. 

Cali grinned and proceeded to fasten a similar bracelet, only in yellow and green, around Felix’s arm.

“You have to be a good girl for Granddaddy and Grandpa,” Felix instructed. “And help them with your brother.”

Cali beamed and assured her parents that she’d be on her best behaviour and they believed her; ever since Rory had woken from his coma she had been a perfect angel, never misbehaving or throwing a tantrum. Although, how long that would last was anyone’s guess.

Rory and Felix said their goodbyes, kissing the kids softly, before climbing into the car and driving away.

Ianto looked over at Jack who was frowning with worry and reached out, slowly lacing his fingers with his partner’s. “He’ll be okay,” he whispered. “The Doctor tested him. He isn’t connected to the Rift anymore.”

Jack nodded. “I know,” he murmured. “I’m just worried about him.”

“He’s our son,” Ianto reminded him. “This is the first time he’s ever been away from home. I think worrying should be on the top of your list of things to do.”

Jack grinned and leant closer, capturing Ianto’s lips in a soft kiss; he was so pleased that Ianto actually let Jack kiss him, instead of pushing the Captain away. “Let’s get these two home,” he said softly against Ianto’s lips.

Ianto nodded his head. “Before we do, I wanted to give you something.”

Jack frowned in confusion and looked down, his eyes widening when Ianto reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver ring.

“I wanted to give this back to you,” Ianto said, taking Jack’s left hand and sliding it back onto his ring finger. 

“Ianto, I…”

“And I want you to come back home,” Ianto added, cutting Jack off. “I love you, Will. We’ve been apart for too long now, I want you home again.”

Jack smiled and kissed Ianto hotly. “I’ll come home,” he agreed, resting his forehead against Ianto’s. “I love you too.”

The End


End file.
